Starstruck
by Kiba Sniper
Summary: A series of stories dedicated to Bobby, Chloe, and their relationship. Please note that some of the stories are dated in terms of writing quality or content. Today's stories: Bobby finally beats Raz in the levitation race, and he goes to Chloe to gloat. Later, Raz discovers that someone has been stealing the campers' desserts and goes to investigate with Lili.
1. Fifty Sentences I

Because the world needs more Bobby Zilch/Chloe Barge. This will be a series of sentences concerning the lovely couple of an uncertain length. Each chapter will hold fifty sentences about Bobby, Chloe, and their relationship.

Psychonauts (C) Tim Schafer, Double Fine

1. Motion.  
>It's not the way she dances that makes him smile, but the way she awkwardly holds his hands and sways her hips to dance along with him in Milla's mind.<p>

2. Cool.  
>Bobby realized just how totally awesome she was for staying away from the stupid training because, in all honestly, Oleander's Basic Braining was stupid.<p>

3. Young.  
>Five years was large age difference as Mikhail points that out by calling Bobby a "pedobear."<p>

4. Last.  
>"And that's Orion," Chloe states, pointing out the final constellation in the night sky to Bobby as they sit on the roof.<p>

5. Wrong.  
>Bobby really wished that he could turn back time so he never slapped her, completely accidentally, in the face with that fish.<p>

6. Gentle.  
>Neither of them are too warm or fuzzy, but their social awkwardness makes up for that as they hold hands in the forest, collecting samples for one of Chloe's projects.<p>

7. One.  
>"Listen, Chloe, alien or not, you're still going to be the number one girl for me," Bobby earnestly states.<p>

8. Thousand.  
>So many possible homes, she thinks, gazing into the sky before rigorously working on Oleander's radio; she has to work fast, after all, there is a war going on that she does not want to involve herself or Bobby with.<p>

9. King.  
>If Raz and Chloe are the king and queens of the cadets, then Bobby and Chloe are the rebellious peasants.<p>

10. Learn.  
>Most of Chloe's earth knowledge came from spending time with Bobby, even if he could use some major work.<p>

11. Blur.  
>Bobby struggled to remember the first time Chloe jumped up to kiss his cheek because it happened so fast.<p>

12. Wait.  
>"Hold up, Chloe!" Bobby shouts, chasing after her as the young girl races after a raccoon, believing it to be an ambassador for the Verlaine Nebula.<p>

13. Change.  
>With his teeth straightened, hair curved into a more normal bob, a charming smile on his face, seventeen-year-old Bobby was hot in Chloe's eyes.<p>

14. Command.  
>He is rowdy and crude to other people, bossing Benny around with no twinge of remorse, but to Chloe, he listens to whatever she says because her wisdom and boldness just make him melt.<p>

15. Hold.  
>When Chloe realizes she is human, the first one to hug her before she sobs is Bobby.<p>

16. Need.  
>He will never tell it to her face, but Bobby prays that, one day, Chloe will turn around and notice him.<p>

17. Vision.  
>Elka gave a short scream as she saw a vision of Bobby and Chloe kissing on the docks.<p>

18. Attention.  
>Whenever she speaks, he listens, blocking out all kinds of disturbances and sounds, focusing on her low, contently stern voice.<p>

19. Soul.  
>"How do ya know it exists if you can't see it?" Chloe questions Bobby one day as she puts down a religious book, adding, "You humans are so strange."<p>

20. Picture.  
>Bobby treasured his photograph with Chloe, both with smiles on their faces and their hands held together.<p>

21. Fool.  
>Let the girls pick on her and call her awful names because she is dating the camp bully; Bobby will beat them up for her.<p>

22. Mad.  
>"Don't you ever go off into the woods like that again, Chloe!" Bobby shouts as Chloe comes back to their unisex cabin with a cut on her cheek from a bear attack, and as Bobby fixes her up, he lowers his voice, adding, "I'm gonna go kick the crap outta that bear for hurting ya."<p>

23. Child.  
>Sometimes, Bobby forgets she is seven, so when Chloe learns she is human, he gasps when she bursts into tears.<p>

24. Appearance  
>Her face is pale pink with dark violet eyes and fair blond trestles running down her face in a short ponytail tied up by a bow, but she is rather shocked since, thinking she was plain in earthly standards, Bobby blurts out how pretty she is without her helmet.<p>

25. Shadow.  
>As Chloe punches Maloof in the face for trying to hit on her, she smirks lightly as Bobby takes down Mikhail from the trees behind him, always watching over her.<p>

26. Goodbye.  
>"You better write to me," Bobby warns playfully, but Chloe can see that he is on the verge of tears as camp ends and nods compliantly.<p>

27. Hide.  
>Bobby growls in frustration as he hears her footsteps, shouting, "Chloe! You're too good at hide-n-seek!"<p>

28. Fortune.  
>Being from a poor family, Bobby feels like millionaire when Chloe agrees to be his girlfriend.<p>

29. Safe.  
>All he can do is drop to his knees and embrace her tightly when he sees she has been rebrained.<p>

30. Ghost.  
>Chloe can sometimes see the spirits of the dead, but she was more shocked to find out that the dead guy that stole her brain last year was the father of her boyfriend and decidedly to conveniently bother her.<p>

31. Book.  
>"This is stimulating," Chloe mutters to herself as she skims through one of Crystal's yaoi novels, but freaks out when Bobby sees her, screaming, "Don't you know how to knock?"<p>

32. Eye.  
>With two mismatched eyes, Bobby wonders if she will ever get over the work that needs to be done on him.<p>

33. Never.  
>Even with the cruel taunts from the male campers, Bobby refuses to leave Chloe hanging because of their age difference.<p>

34. Sing.  
>Bobby was thrilled when Chloe destroyed every male camper in a rap battle, including Clem who was the king of rhyming and promptly used him as a throne.<p>

35. Sudden.  
>She grabbed the back of his head and kissed him, having always wondered what earthling affection was like, deciding she rather liked the concept of "making out."<p>

36. Stop.  
>Sometimes, he moved too quickly to see the finer details, but Chloe always dragged him by the hand to inspect a few cobwebs or emotional baggage he missed during Psychonaut missions together.<p>

37. Time.  
>To them, the world stops for them as they sit by the lake in the forest and talk about their lives.<p>

38. Wash.  
>She giggles, asking, "Bobby, do you understand the primal way of not falling into mud or is this how you cleanse yourself?"<p>

39. Torn.  
>Between saving Benny or preventing Nils from getting together with Chloe, the answer was obvious as Bobby muttered, "Sorry, Benny."<p>

40. History.  
>He has never learned so many useless facts as Chloe lectures him on the cartoon history of the Irkens that Chloe persists are real.<p>

41. Power.  
>Bobby bashes his knuckles into his fist, fury emanating off him, roaring, "WHERE DID MIKHAIL SHOVE YOU? I'LL KILL HIM MYSELF!"<p>

42. Bother.  
>While Bobby was a nuisance at times, she does like his company, being the only one who supports her as she tries to find her home in space.<p>

43. God.  
>He is not a believer, but Bobby founds himself praying to be Chloe's boyfriend.<p>

44. Wall.  
>Chloe was so thunderstruck as Bobby's stupendous gift of an enormous telescope with various optical lenses that she falls to see Crystal running towards her and knocks the girl into a wall because the cheerleader thought she missed Chloe's birthday.<p>

45. Naked.  
>Around Bobby, Chloe opens up more than she has ever done so with her human parents; he is the only one who takes her seriously, and she appreciates that dearly.<p>

46. Drive.  
>As Bobby boards the spacecraft they took months to back, he waves the keys in the air, asking, "So, you piloting or am I, babe?"<p>

47. Harm.  
>Bobby will bully anyone relentlessly, but never Chloe, even if she does look annoyed when he comes by; Chloe will snap at anyone for getting in her way, but never Bobby, even if he does distract her with his stuttering and bashful chatting.<p>

48. Precious.  
>Bobby holds the sleeping seven-year-old to his chest, hands curling around her blond hair as he smiles gently, realizing that Chloe is his perfect, amazingly wonderful alien.<p>

49. Hunger.  
>Chloe tackles Bobby with a hug as he presents her with a sandwich after remaining lost in the woods for other four hours with no food.<p>

50. Believe.  
>"I love you," they blurt in unison before stopping and asking, "Really? Why me? Because you are amazing."<p> 


	2. Fifty Sentences II

Psychonauts (C) Tim Schafer, Double Fine

BobbyChloe: Fifty More Sentences

1. Walking.

Some cadets noticed that, as Bobby and Chloe passed by, the former always smiled happily as he plodded behind Chloe like a puppy.

2. Waltz.

Chloe petted Bobby like a dog, stating, "You played well, but Dance Dance Revolution is too hard for you, and you should probably wear sneakers when playing."

3. Wishes.

She heard shooting stars granted one's innermost desires, so why hadn't any of her dreams come true yet when she had wished a thousand times before?

4. Wonder.

Bobby's eyebrows raise to the highest part of his forehead in shock as he stares at the massive spacecraft before him, gawking as he realized Chloe had a lot of time on her hands.

5. Worry.

Being rebrained first, Chloe felt an odd fidgeting come over her as she debugged Oleander's radio, shocked that she was concerned with Bobby's whereabouts or, worse, if Raz even recovered his brain.

6. Whimsy

They both have their quirks: Bobby has his stammering around her, and Chloe will go off on tangents that he will get confused on, but both find the others' faults simply adorable.

7. Wasteland.

"I dunno 'bout you, but I guess space is pretty interesting, since, ya know, you like it 'n' all, and this world's stupid anyway," Bobby stuttered, staring at the night sky with Chloe testing out some spaceship details nearby.

8. Whiskey and Rum.

"Mental note to self," the twenty-year-old Bobby muttered, carrying the manically laughing seventeen-year-old on his back, "never give Chloe alcohol or she will run rampant with a laser thinking everyone is an invading Irken."

9. War.

He had to be curious as Chloe tinkered with Oleander's radio, wondering what sort of friends she was calling to help stop Oleander.

10. Weddings.

Bobby fiddled with the velvet box in his hands, remembering just how terribly his parents' marriage fell down the tubes, but he vowed never to let that happen because she was too special, and he called out to his girlfriend of several years, ready to pop the question.

11. Birthday.

Bobby patted the side of the GPC affectionately, and Chloe noted that it had rockets attached to it with the words "Space or Bust" scrawled messily on the side, but her attention was drawn back to Bobby when he said, "Hey, hope ya like yer present since I know you were trying to built a shuttle to go home."

12. Blessing.

Chloe kissed Bobby's forehead as he grinned to himself, blushing when she stated, "Since you're so adamant about fighting Mikhail, go ahead, but don't come back half-dead like last time, okay?"

13. Bias.

To be fair, Chloe was not used to dealing with "ugly" humans like Bobby since her adopted mother was a rich movie starlet, making her perception of human beauty warped.

14. Burning.

Bobby smirks wickedly as he helps Chloe set a squirrel on fire.

15. Breathing.

Placing her hand over his heart, she feels his heartbeat thudding rapidly with his chest seeming to heave from the sudden contact, prompting Chloe to ask, "Are you all right, Bobby?"

16. Breaking.

With tears streaming down his face, Bobby punched a hole in the wall, screaming volatile curses throughout his aunt's home, realizing that she had broken up with him because of his stupidity: he let her get shot because of his involvement with his former gang.

17. Belief.

"You're never gonna believe it, Bobby! I think I saw a spaceship!" Chloe shouts like a hyperactive child, dragging the bully to the docks.

18. Balloon.

Bobby spat out his cereal when he saw Chloe tying at least fifty balloons to her body to have the wind shoot her up to space.

19. Balcony.

As Chloe skims through her play, she asks, "Bobby, I find this Shakespearian piece of literature odd since I can imagine you as this 'Juliet' pronouncing a love to a certain someone meaning me."

20. Bane.

She knew his past life was abusive, but the way he smiles and laughs with her makes her wonder if Bobby ever got over his uncle's torment.

21. Quiet.

They slap a hand over each other's mouth as the rampant, telekinetic bears dart through the woods, hoping to be as quiet as possible as they watch Nils scream and run away from the horde.

22. Quirks.

"No offense, but you're boring me to death," Bobby admitted dryly, hand to his cheek as Chloe previously rambled on about how turtles were ambassadors from another galaxy.

23. Question.

Every time Chloe needed help on an earthly matter, the first person she turned to was Bobby.

24. Quarrel.

Whenever they bickered, it usually ended with Bobby blurting out something embarrassingly silly about a feature he liked about Chloe.

25. Quitting.

"Perhaps life on this backwards planet is not so bad because I still have you to hang around with," Chloe admitted, smiling lightly.

26. Jump.

Bobby nearly had a heart attack when Chloe jumped out of the shrubbery and landed on his hair.

27. Jester.

He was always trying too hard to make her laugh.

28. Assistance.

She would be there at his side when he lost a fight, offering advice or solace to the distraught, aggravated boy.

29. Jewel.

Being a boy of simple beginnings, Bobby was delighted when he learned that Chloe's love did not have to be won by diamonds.

30. Legacy.

When she learns Bobby is the son of the mad doctor, Chloe gasped and thought, Then how long did he have to suffer the repercussions of his father's actions?

31. Smirk.

Whenever they have the same idea, they turn to each other with a blank expression and allow their faces to darken into demonic sneers.

32. Sorrow.

It was too cruel a thought, Bobby realizes, that Chloe would ever leave him behind to find her real world…she wouldn't do that, right?

33. Stupidity.

Chloe's hand finds its way to the front of her helmet as Bobby chuckles nervously, having gotten caught in a nest set by Oleander to stop the cadets from jumping on his car.

34. Serenade.

He can't sing for his life and neither can she, but they can lay down sick beats and rhymes that not even Clem and Crystal can keep up.

35. Sarcasm.

"Oh, shure, the commie can help with his mind stuck on either Maloof or bears or gay sex with Maloof or gay sex with bears," Bobby cynically snarled, hating the fact that Chloe was even suggesting going to Mikhail for help with one of her latest projects.

36. Sordid.

He'll never forgot the look of horror on her face as he beat the utter crap out of Nils, leaving him looking like a crimson splotch on the ground.

37. Soliloquy.

Sometimes, when Chloe speaks, Bobby notices that she sounds poetic even when telling him the notes to take down.

38. Sojourn.

As they part from camp, Chloe turns around in the backseat of her mother's car, hoping to catch even a glimpse of that wild afro.

39. Share.

When Maloof takes her lunch as "payment" for services she did not need, Chloe thanks Bobby when he punches the Italian boy in the face.

40. Solitary.

Confined in the GPC system, Bobby hugs himself, knees curling as he rocks himself back and forth, instantly reminded of that mad world his father forced him to suffer in when he was a child.

41. Nowhere.

Everyone told Bobby he was going nowhere in life, but Chloe told him that his future looked bright as a Psychonaut, and she was the first person to ever say the truth.

42. Neutral.

On the topic of love that girls loved to gossip about, Chloe kept her mouth shut and shook her head, wondering why such chimps concerned themselves with the prospect when her heart was set on two objectives…wait, but it was only supposed to be finding her home, so how did Bobby worm his way in there?

43. Nuance.

Bobby takes the time to explain the meaning of various phrases to Chloe, especially the ones revolving "sixty-nine" Nils blathered about, even though it was awkward.

44. Near.

They're standing so close to each other that they can feel the other's body heat.

45. Natural.

"Well, lemme tell you something, this is who I am and what I am like, so-so if ya don't like it, so what? I'm still Bobby Zilch no matter what I look like."

46. Horizon.

As she stands on the highest hill with Bobby's hand in her own, Chloe gazes at the red and pink skyline, letting the her helmet-less face soak in the lovely rays.

47. Valiant.

There was no way in Hell that Bobby Zilch was comparable to a knight in shining armor; Chloe would beg to differ because he was a knight with serious work needed to be done.

48. Virtuous.

Innocent, pure, and easily curious, Bobby pondered if Chloe was an angel instead of an alien.

49. Victory.

Bobby swoops her up in his arms, shouting a verbose "Yes!" when Chloe smiles and tenderly agrees to be his girlfriend.

50. Defeat.

As a wounded, delirious Bobby loses consciousness on the forest green, the last image he sees is a frantic Chloe screaming as she is swallowed up by Linda.


	3. A Human's Redeeming Quality

A Human's Redeeming Quality 

"Hey, wanna help me save the world?"

Bobby rolled his eyes. Stupid Raz! Of course they were trying to save the world! When he met up with Chloe in Oleander's treehouse and learned what she was doing, he stated that he would stick around to protect her. Chloe barely even glanced over when Raz spoke, prompting Bobby to speak.

"That's what we're doing. Duh! Chloe has some friends who she's calling who are gonna kick the coach's ass."

Chloe uttered a soft sigh that only Bobby heard. "Well, to tell ya the truth, earthling, this world is a goner. Right now, I'm just trying to hitch a ride to the next world over."

"Oh, that's not cowardly or anything," Raz interjected, earning a harsh punch from Bobby.

"Hey! If what Chloe says is the truth, guess what? It's the truth!"

"That doesn't even make sense to what she said, Bobby," Raz grumbled, rubbing his sore arm.

"You can leave the primate alone, Bobby. He doesn't understand anything," Chloe stated, continuing to wire Oleander's radio.

"Shure thing."

Raz rolled his eyes and faced Chloe once more. "Good luck with Bobby, Chloe, you'll need it."

As Raz began to walk away, Chloe finally faced him. "You know, Raz, you're a barbarian. You fight without thinking of a real goal."

"Saving the world isn't a goal?" Raz blurted, whirling around in shock.

"I mean, you choose your decisions based from your heart, not your head..."

Bobby's own heart panged the second she spoke, biting down hard in his lip. He was following his heart, wasn't he? By sticking around to defend Chloe from Oleander?

"...and that's the only redeeming quality you humans have," Chloe added before turning away. "My friends will be here soon, so if you need back up, just call Bobby and me."

Raz smirked, giving a mock salute and ran off.

"Hey, uh, Chloe?"

"Yes, Bobby?"

"When you said...you were gonna go home, um..."

"I only said that so he would leave. Raz is a bit of an annoyance."

Bobby smirked, wrapping his arm playfully around her. "He shure is!"

Chloe glanced at his arm as a scarlet tint touched Bobby's cheeks. "Hm, a sign of human affection. Interesting."

"Uh-"

"If you want, you can keep your arm there. I don't really mind. Since I'm not that good with this whole psychokinesis thing, and since you're one of the best cadets here-"

_She thinks I'm one of the best! _Bobby gushed mentally.

"-it would put less strain on you if you held me. I do not mind at all. In fact..." Chloe allowed a small smile to come to her face. "...I find it most enjoyable." 


	4. Earthling

Chloe stood at the ledge of the mountain, helmetless and staring at the stars like every normal night. So, she wasn't an alien. Her entire life's work...wasted, ruined, all with a single realization when she took off her helmet for a brief moment to breathe. The wind blew, making her shudder as she sniffled lightly. Her parents were her parents, making her bite her lip at the cold way she treated them. They loved her, but Chloe treated them like they were slave-owners, and she was their slave.

"Hi, um, Chloe..."

"Hey, Bobby," she replied without looking back to him.

Bobby noted her saddened tone, and hesitantly touched her shoulder. Feeling Chloe stiffen at this, he tightened his grip in an attempt to calm her down. "You're human. Sho what?"

"So what?" Her face contorted in rage, whirling around and shrieked, "So what! I wasted my life! I neglected my parents! I-I-!"

Bobby suddenly picked her up in a hug, bringing her close to his chest. Chloe's hate formed into shock, gaping lightly at the bully's actions. Unlike the other campers who thought she was crazy, Bobby never openly criticized her. Bobby was always defending her from the others, but even with his ugly features and crude behaviors, she found Bobby civilized around her.

"Bobby, this is a gesture of affection. Why are you-?"

"Aw, shut up for a moment," Bobby ordered, silencing her. "You didn't neglect nobody 'cause you didn't know. It ain't your fault. Beshides, if you were, well, ever taken up by aliens, I prolly wouldn't let you leave."

"Why?"

Bobby's face turned into a rosebush. "Because I'd missh you too much."

"Bobby...to be honest, I would miss you as well."

His yellow smile widened as Chloe set herself down. "R-really? You would?"

Her emerald eyes sparkled the stars she loved so much. "I would."

"Hey, boss, did you make out with her yet? I hafta pee! Hurry up!"

"Excuse me, Chloe. I gotta go kill Benny."

As she heard Benny's mutilating screams and Bobby's nail gun being fired, Chloe smiled and shook her head. She still needed to work on him, but she felt closer to Bobby now. He made her feel like an earthling, even when she thought she was an alien. He was always there for her, making her normal in ways she could not perceive. Sighing, Chloe watched as Bobby came back with two of Benny's teeth.

"Bobby, we still need to work on you."


	5. Shooting Stargazing

(Note: Both characters are older. Chloe is twelve while Bobby is seventeen.)

"Still lookin' at the sky?"

Chloe jerked around, finding Bobby walking up to her with a demure grin on his light blue face. Standing on the roof of PsyAcademy, she nodded and continued searching the stars. Bobby smirked, kneeling down behind her and wrapped both of his arms around her chin, bringing the tiny girl to his chest.

"Noticed ya ain't wearing your helmet," Bobby snickered, folding his legs beneath him.

She shrugged, pale face and violet eyes with that cute button nose reflecting up to him. "It got a little hot inside."

Bobby sneered. "Are you hot for me?"

"Shut it."

Obeying, Bobby sat by her as they watched the stars. It was a frequent sort of get-together they always did whenever they could. Bobby would skip out of late night telepathy class to see Chloe, usually getting caught, but it was worth spending time with her.

"That's Cygnus A, right?" Bobby questioned, pointing to a random spot in the sky.

Chloe took his wrist, redirecting it a little to the left. "Almost had this time, Bobby."

"Think they'll ever come for you?"

"I keep hoping."

"Well, if they do, mind if I come along? I ain't got nothin' better to do, and I'm sure the Psychonauts would be boring if you were not around."

Chloe grinned gently, nodding. "I am certain your company would keep me entertained."

Repeating the last word with a hint of annoyance as Chloe sneered at him, Bobby haughtily crossed his arms and fumed. "If ya don't mind, that's pretty rude, Chloe."

"As if you are not rude all the time."

"Not to you I'm not."

Chloe kept his hand in her own as their eyes flicked up to the sky. "True. So, you think they will come for me soon?"

Bobby grinned and nodded, knowing that her telepathy was from the thoughts of people around her, but if his lying made her smile, he would continue it. He listened to Chloe point out constellations, planets, but what stunned them both was a fiery red shooting star streaking across the midnight sky. Both gawked, mouths falling open they turned to each other, telling the other to make a wish. Realizing what they had done, Bobby and Chloe turned away and blushed. Slowly, they clasped their hands and silently wished.

"So…what did ya wish for?" Bobby asked, lowering his hands and turning to her.

"If you ask, it will not come true," Chloe countered, earning his pouting face. "That will not work on me."

Bobby sighed, shaking his head and took her hand again, watching the sky. "Well, I guess I c'n tell you what I wished for."

"What's that?"

"For you to be happy, Chloe. That's all I want."

Chloe gaped slightly, staring at Bobby with eyes slightly wider than usual. He was believable, honest, and earnest around her, traits that were rarely seen to others, but her. A smile slipped onto her face, leaning closer to Bobby and placing a chaste kiss onto his cheek.

Bobby shot backwards, hand to his warming cheek and left his mouth hanging open like a fish gaping for water. "You-you-!"

She giggled, standing up and levitated down to the ground. "Pleasant dreams, Bobby."


	6. Do You Like Quentin?

Bobby slowly walked over like a condemned boy walking to his death. In his hand was a small bouquet of flowers for that one special girl: Chloe Barge, his alien girl. She was the only one that treated him with an equal amount of respect and kindness. Bobby would smile at their memories together, even though he had heard odd rumors from Clem and Crystal when they were standing strangely on the roof.

He overheard that Chloe liked Quentin Hedgemouse, the hippie.

It was crazy to even think that! Chloe and Quentin? In Bobby's mind, it was like putting a budding flower with a determined rocket! Quentin was the stupid, cocoa-sipping reject from the 1970's! If anything, what did Quentin have that he did not? Better hair? A winning smile?

Well, at least Bobby could sing better than Quentin. Bobby shuddered even thinking about his horrendous voice. Besides, when Bobby first met Quentin, he thought the blossoming musician was a girl.

He needed to ask Chloe directly. No, he had to. If Chloe liked Quentin, he would have no idea what to do! Even with the flowers in his hands, Bobby swallowed his fear and trudged through the forest until he spotted a familiar, white aircraft fluttering above him.

"Oh, um, h-hey, Chloe!" he called, hiding the flowers behind his back.

She turned to him with a slight smile and caught her paper airplane as it flew back over to her. "Hello, Bobby."

"J-just g-got a quick question f-fer ya. Uh, th-thish is gonna sound way w-weird, but…but do you, um, l-l-like Quentin as, oh, I dunno, potential boyfriend?"

Her violet eyes went wide in her head, utterly astounded at the ludicrous question. "Oh, God, no! He's too laidback and foolish. He would definitely not understand the complexity of space travel either."

"O-oh, that-that's a relief. Sho, um, here." He placed the bouquet in her hands, gnawing on his lower lip as Chloe stared at the flowers in surprise. "They-they reminded me of you…"

"Oh, wow, Bobby…I have no idea what to say." Her head cocked, gently feeling the soft petals of the pink roses.

"Well, you could say…yes…" Bobby smiled bashfully. "…to the date I'm about to ask you on."

She smiled. "Then, yes, sounds perfect.


	7. Years Go By

Each oneshot will be inspired by a current song that I like.

-  
>Popipo by Rin Kagamine (Vocaloid)<p>

She was not going to blush. She refused to allow any color tint her pale, pallid cheeks as Bobby kept staring at her with a blankly dumbfounded expression. Chloe's eyes must have been as wide as dinner plates at that point when Bobby's head slowly tilted to the left in a confused manner. Her lips became a thin line, trying not to utter a sound as Bobby opened his mouth to speak, but promptly shut it. Chloe quietly greeted him, still frozen in her awkward stance.

Her hands were not in the air with one knee twisted to the other in a failed way of copying Miku Hatsune's dance. The Japanese piano and techno song was not on at full blast. Bobby was not standing in her cabin and looking at her like she sprouted a second head, though she suspected people of the Polarissma race might do that.

Too bad the above paragraph was a lie, and everything in it happened.

"C-Chloe? Um, wh-what are, um, ya know, what are you doing?" Bobby stammered, blinking away his surprise.

Quickly shutting off her radio, Chloe cleared her throat, stating, "I'm-I'm studying human culture."

"By...dancing?"

"Yes."

"...To...to wh-whatever that was? A song about..."

"Vegetable juice."

Bobby repeated her last sentence, which she confirmed to be true with an embarassed nod. Looking over to the radio, he noticed a small laptop and flipped the screen up. Hearing her utter a small squeak of surprise, he smirked quietly to himself and watched the video of an animated Miku dancing to the song.

"Not ta be rude or anythin', but you like this Voc'loid stuff, don'cha?"

Chloe frowned.

Bobby grinned playfully. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Shut up," she muttered, moving past him and taking her laptop.

Bobby reached over her shoulder and pressed the play button on her radio, laughing despite himself. "Never thought you'd like that kinda music. I think I heard Benny playing one'a those 'Kaito' songs."

"Kaito is the entity of what an earth male should act like. Besides, most of this is for research."

"Oh." Bobby's voice lowered deeply in disappointment, having seen an image of Kaito on Benny's phone. Why Benny had that picture, he had no idea. Crossing his arms, he hummed silently in annoyance. So, Chloe liked effeminate, pretty boys who could not stand up to their girlfriends? God, Nils would love to hear that. Glancing down at Kaito's picture, he growled, "Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint ya, but there's no Kaito on this planet."

"Which is why we need to work on you."

Bobby blinked, stiffening. "Huh?"

A playful grin stretched across Chloe's face behind her helmet. "Well, you do not want for my affections to go to an animated, digital creature created by feeble-minded, primate-like technology, do you?"

"Wh-what? Hell no!" Bobby blurted, face streaking with scarlet as Chloe chuckled. "I ain't losin' out ta no blue-haired, pretty priss! It'd be like watching Raz the Spaz make out with you! That's just gross!" Taking a quick, huffy breath, he quickly added, "I don't have to wear that gay cape, do I?"

"No. The cape is a little much."

Uttering a sigh of relief, Bobby smiled.

"But I would prefer it if you sang."

Bobby paled, mouth slacking open in horror.

"I'm joking."

"Sheesh, don't do that! Scared me for a second..."

"Or am I?"

"Dammit, Chloe! S-stop it!" Bobby shrieked, blushing up a storm as Chloe smiled.

-  
>Faggot by Mindless Self Indulgence<p>

"I'm confused, and I need your help on an earthly matter."

Bobby sat up on his bunk before leaping down to the younger girl. "What's up, Chloe?"

"I have seen something rather...strange." Chloe scratched the back of her helmet, blushing lightly.

"What? Is someone bothering you?" Bobby cracked his knuckles experimentally, face starting to pinch up until Chloe shook her head and crossed her arms.

"N-no, it was between Mikhail and Maloof."

Interest crossed Bobby's features, asking her to continue. Taking his hand, Chloe brought Bobby outside, guiding him through the forest. Bobby kept his eyes focused on the fact she was holding his hand, hoping it was not sweaty or clammy or anything that would force her to break off. His face took a dark pink shade to match his fingers and his palms. Bobby felt her pause when they were on the bridge, finding her point down. Peering down, he gasped sharply and pulled her back as Mikhail suddenly bolted out with his hand raised to his forehead. Before he could do anything, Bobby activated his levitation ball and bolted back to the main campgrounds with Chloe clinging to his arm. His breathing came in heavy pants, eyes wide in amused terror until Chloe looked up to him with shocked eyes.

"What was that about? What were they-?"

"Ya see, Chloe, that's somethin' called gay love. Basically, they're fags who wanna have sex with each other all night long."

"But...how do they spawn?"

"The wonders of m-preg." He grinned cheekily to her, holding the tiny girl's hand as he walked to her cabin. "Here! I'll show ya images of it in the internet!"

-  
>Misty's Song (Pokemon)<p>

He couldn't leave her like this. With everything ending so swiftly, so suddenly with the camp ending early because of stupid Oleander's madness...

Most of the campers had already left along with the counselors on some mission. Benny had gone home, and, thankfully, Maloof and Mikhail were picked up by Maloof's family limo. The only ones left were J.T., Chops, Clem, and Crystal, and he could easily take down them if they dared to say anything.

Bobby sat down on his light blue suitcase, twiddling his thumbs as he looked over to Chloe. She was in the middle of the parking lot, swinging around in a strange fashion. She absolutely fascinated him with her marveled ways, her intelligence and grace, even if she was socially awkward. Her head kept flicking towards the sky, arms in the air, and Bobby knew what she was doing: trying to contact her people.

Everyone knew that her power came from broken telepathy that she was still grasping. Still, Chloe was adamant about being an alien. That was another thing he liked about her, that determination she always had. Bobby sighed to himself, trying to find something else to look at, but his eyes kept wandering over to her when Clem and Crystal decided to cut in on her spinning. Immediately, he stood up, crossing his arms and glaring over to them just in case they tried something funny.

"Hey, Chloe!" Crystal exclaimed in a voice too perky for noon.

"Hello," she irritably responded, violet eyes narrowing into slits behind her helmet.

"What'cha doing? Dancing?" Clem asked, equally perky as his counterpart.

"No, earthlings. This is a teleportation beckoning call for the people on Cygnus A. They twirl around, fingers pointed to the sky in order to ask for help whenever they need to return to their home planet." Chloe glanced at her fingertips, sighing lightly. "It doesn't seem to be working."

"Well, maybe if we cheer it'll work!" Crystal suggested, jumping around.

"No, no, it has to be done in private."

Bobby frowned lightly to himself. Private? At Whispering Rock? Privacy was practically banned. Everyone knew everything about each other. A pang of agony came to his chest as he watched Clem and Crystal's face sadden lightly, still keeping those probably fake grins on their faces. God, he hated those two more than stepping on an arrowhead. They were annoying and irksome, but he paused. No one was around him, right? Quickly looking, he found J.T. and Chops playing with a hackeysack across the lot near the entrance while Clem and Crystal were still trying to cheer a bothered Chloe up.

Why couldn't those stupid aliens exist already? Make Chloe smile and take her...

...home.

Wait, but if those aliens took her...he'd never see her again.

Fear tightened around his heart, eyes widening as the startling realization made his ability to breathe falter. Taking a staggered breath, Bobby sat back down onto his suitcase. Well, more like fell into it and landed onto his butt on the corner of it. Shaking his head, Bobby found those two idiotic cheerleaders doing what they did best as Chloe continued to ask for silence.

Bobby needed something to punch, and Clem's face was looking pretty to beat on. Breaking those buckteeth of his might make him appear normal. Standing up, he stormed over until he was in front of the bulletin boards and a light blue note caught his discolored eyes.

"Alien life forms, please take me home. I can't stand it here anymore. The humans are foolish, the food tastes like a Namekian dung heap, and there is only one boy that I can even speak with without feeling a migraine come on. His name is Bobby, but if you ever come to find me, Mom and Dad, can you take him too if he wants? I think he'd like it in space. He might fit in more. Chloe."

Taking the note down, Bobby read it a series of times. She wanted him to go with her? Him? Was he the only person she liked at camp? Heck, maybe Chloe thought they were friends! Turning over to her, he gasped sharply.

She was gone.

"Chloe?" he blurted suddenly, attracting Chops' attention.

"Oh, hey, Bobby. She just left," he replied, picking up the dropped hackeysack.

"Wh-what? B-but I didn't see a car," Bobby stammered, faltering as the two friends exchanged a glance.

J.T. pointed around the bulletin board, finding Chloe start to get into a car. "Mah hombre almost got it right. She's over there about to leave."

Bobby shot over to Chloe, snatching her arm as she was about to step inside. Chloe started at him with wide eyes, mouth falling open as Bobby took a deep breath through his nose and presented the note to her. Taking it from him, Chloe quickly read it and grinned lightly.

"I suppose I forgot to leave without saying goodbye, Bobby," she replied.

"Yeah, ya did. Not cool." Bobby broke off, letting her go as Chloe sat in the back of the car, but left the door open to speak. Scratching the back of his head, he felt the awkwardness surge up in throat, clogging the words that bubbled forth. Taking a gulp, Bobby chuckled nervously. "W-well, um, l-later...Y-you got my info, right?"

"Yes, I have your phone number and address," Chloe replied, nodding as if speaking to a military officer. "And you have mine?"

Bobby pointed over to his suitcase. "Yeah, all in there. W-well, I don't wanna keep you up o-or anything. See you again soon?"

He didn't mean to sound so damn hopeful with his tone elevating sad joy as Chloe nodded again and handed the note back, stating he could do whatever he wanted with it. He stepped backwards, allowing her to shut the door. The lock on his heart tightened, tugging at his chest as he backed up. Bobby quietly watched as whoever was driving Chloe home began to back up before heading off.

Before Bobby knew it, a few tears started down his cheeks, and he wiped them with a finger, not wanting the rest of the loser campers see them. Even through his somewhat obscured, blurry vision, Bobby saw a hand wave through the back, and he waved back, arm extending high into the air with a short hiccup.

Chloe's car vanished. Bobby closed his eyes, feeling the memory of meeting flood back, how she was fixing Oleander's radio, stating she did not care for his "less than adequate" class. Bobby fell for her instantly, and as he felt her car flee, he felt his heart slowly crack and tear. Holding the note to his heart, Bobby headed back to his things and grabbed them, finding his aunt's car pull in.

He missed her, and he feared that he would never see her again. He really wished he told her the truth, that he loved her. Bobby was a coward. He was strong, arrogant, and intelligent in his own way, but to matters of the heart, Bobby was a scared child. As he got into his aunt's car, he continuously wiped his leaking eyes, prompting her to ask what was wrong. Bobby smirked and placed his face in his hands.

"I let 'er go..."

-

Legenda by Marcin Mrozinski

PsyAcademy was for the former campers who actually decided to be Psychonauts. Most of the campers decided to go on and live normal lives, but Bobby knew that he had to follow in his dear aunt's legacy, to not become like his father, and immediately enrolled. He picked up his slack, concentrating on his studies, and actually became friends with a few people he tormented such as Clem, Crystal, and Mikhail. Benny came back, too, and he treated him with kindness for once, being roommates in the prestigious academy.

Still, he was lonely. Why wasn't she here?

"What's up, boss? You look kinda down," Benny asked the seventeen-year-old who had changed much in five years. His hair was still in a bob, but more evenly cut with his teeth straightened. Some would say that he looked hot with the added muscle mass he put on, no longer having his wiry, lanky frame.

Sitting up on his bed, Bobby rolled his eyes at fourteen-year-old Benny and smirked. He still had his double zero jersey, but added a black vest and matching, ripped slacks. "I told you to stop calling me that, Benny."

Benny grinned sheepishly, having grown taller, but not as close as Bobby with an buttoned, white, tailored shirt with checkered shorts on. "Sorry, it's a habit, but, seriously, you look like shit."

"Gee, thanks, Benny. I love being called shit."

Rolling his eyes in retaliation, Benny crossed his arms before sweeping a hand through his slightly longer auburn hair. "Come on. What's up? You usually don't PMS until next week."

Bobby chucked his pillow at Benny who swiftly ducked it. "Just thinking, ya little brat. I'm wondering why Chloe isn't here."

"Chloe? Who-?" Benny gasped slightly in realization. "The one with the helmet?"

"Yeah, Chloe. I've kept in touch with her ever since camp ended. We write letters to each other."

Benny hummed lightly, fingering one of his ear piercing before smirking. Sauntering over to Bobby victoriously, he snatched Bobby's cheeks and stretched them. As Bobby cursed and flailed, he sneered, "I know something you don't!"

Kicking Benny in the chest, he snapped, "And what the hell is that?"

Staggering backwards, Benny held his chest in pain and asked, "W-well, you're a senior here, right?"

"Yeah, and yer a sophomore. What's your point?"

"Well, Chloe could be starting this year. Remember, it's like high school. You can't join the school until you're a certain age. She's twelve this year, so she could be joining."

"But Maloof joined-"

"Because his dad has connections. He's the son of the don, Bobby."

"Good...point, Benny," Bobby murmured, letting the information sink in. Shooting out of bed, he grabbed Benny's shoulders, shaking him lightly as an impulse. "Benny! When are the new recruits coming in?"

"I-it should be...in an hour, Bobby. They come at noon."

"Oh, my God! She could be here today!" Bobby paced worriedly through his room, shouting nonsensical things along the lines of: "Holy fucking shit, I haven't seen her in five years! What if she doesn't recognize me? What if she thinks I'm weird? Or ugly? I can't have that! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Oh, God, what if she doesn't wanna hang out? What if Chloe goes home? What the hell am I gonna do? What if she doesn't even-?"

SMACK.

Benny placed the lamp back down on his desk as Bobby cradled his throbbing head. "Sheesh, Bobby. Calm down. It's just Chloe."

"She's different! She's different than the other girls!" Bobby blurted, holding his skull. "You don't know Chloe like I do."

Benny sighed, revealing the braces on his upper teeth and grabbed Bobby's hair, dragging him to his feet. Pointing at him, he snapped, "Then what the hell are you doing?"

"Huh?"

"Go find out if she's coming."

"How?"

"That damn Clem's in charge of guiding the new kids around with his gothic peppiness."

"You still like Crystal, don't ya, Benny, and yer jealous that Clem's very, very close to dating her, right?"

The flush of crimson on Benny's cheeks made Bobby smirk. Thanking him, Bobby hurried out of the room to find the somewhat suicidal cheerleader. Bolting down the hall, he nearly tripped when he began banging on Clem's door.

"Clem! Emo! Beaver! Open the door!" he screamed.

The door slammed open, revealing an irritable, furious, fifteen-year-old and still bucktoothed Clem dressed all in black with chains on his pants and a spiked choker on to match his fingerless gloves. "What, Bobby? I'm memorize the stupid freshmen's names!"

"Yer leadin' those new kids around at noon today, right?"

Clem's eyebrow raised. "Yeah, why?"

"Do you have a list of them?"

Clem walked back into his room, which was adorned with phrases of motivation and posters of punk and metal bands. Coming back with the list, he handed it to Bobby. "I'll need that back."

Bobby's eyes scanned the list at least a hundred times, desperately searching. Anything, even a wrong way of spelling her name. His breathing slowed, carefully memorizing every name. There were at least fifty kids, but...

"No," he murmured softly, hanging his head.

"Bobby? What's wrong?" Clem asked, concern coming to his features.

"Chloe's not coming back."

Clem frowned sadly, sighing lightly. "No, she's not."

Bobby bit back a sob, closing his hands and shoved the list back into his hands. "Thanks, anyway."

"Um, if-if it makes you feel any better-"

"Save it, Beaver, but thanks."

Bobby trudged down the hall, not bothering to speak with Benny as he didn't want Benny to be too concerned. So, she wasn't coming. Chloe was not returning to the Psychonauts. Then again, she never again mentioned the Psychonauts in their letters. He did know she continued going to Whispering Rock after Bobby graduated the camp to move onto PsyAcademy. Bobby sighed to himself, opening the window and levitated out until he was on the roof, no longer needing a levitation ball. Upon reaching the roof, he was a little more than surprised to find Mikhail. Yelping lightly as Mikhail greeted him with his thick, Russian accent, Bobby managed to smirk and wave back.

"I did not know you would be venturing up here," Mikhail replied, obtaining a good grasp on English through Maloof. He donned a brown, bear fur coat with black pants, hands stuffed into his pockets with his dark brown hair sweeping across his brow to just touch his right eye. His matching eyes inquired Bobby to reply, raising one eyebrow in wonder.

"Eh, figured I needed some air," Bobby sneered. "What, you thinkin' of jumping?"

Shooting Bobby an annoyed glare, Mikhail returned to stare down at the oncoming cars rushing towards the large, white building that resembled a library. "Never, orange bear. Overheard conversation between you and Clem."

"How?"

Mikhail grinned deviously. "I have…ways."

"Commie creep."

"We cannot all get what we desire. Perhaps Chloe is just like other women and think little of doing anything productive. Like Elka."

"Yeah, well, you have Maloof ta screw."

"Shut up."

Bobby shook his head, chuckling. "Okay, sorry. Anyway, I'm just wondering why Chloe's not coming. I mean, she did her time at Whispering Rock. It doesn't make sense as to why she wouldn't come. I miss her…"

Mikhail placed a comforting hand on Bobby's shoulder. "Orange bear never told the space girl how he felt?"

"Never got the chance. I let it slip through my fingers…"

"Tell her in your next letter." With that, Mikhail turned invisible, and Bobby felt a jolt of wind blast by him, making him realize that he used levitation to hover away.

Scowling, Bobby crossed his arms and levitated a little over the roof. "Easy fer you to say, commie bitch. You've already got Maloof."

He stayed on the roof for a while longer, watching the sky and clouds drift by. Chloe loved watching the sky for any alien life. They would spend hours just lying on a cabin top at Whispering Rock, and she would point out constellations while he would try to keep up with her. She got so excited speaking about the stars and planets that they even held hands sometimes, and for him, that was enough to make his heart flutter. Pointing at the sky, Bobby muttered to himself as he recalled where the Big and Little Dippers were by drawing his finger along the air.

The hour passed, making it noon. With the sun beginning to burn him, Bobby scratched through his afro and floated down towards the cement sidewalk. He found Clem, a junior in grade level, donning a more professional Psychonauts-esque uniform with that cheesy, perky grin as he helped the incoming freshman with basic knowledge. Unfortunately for Bobby, Clem saw him and waved him over. Grimacing, Bobby decided to not be a dick and levitated over, finding it to be too much work to walk. However, the "oohs" and "aahs" were enough to suffice his ego.

"This is Bobby Zilch, a senior and one of the top students in the academy," Clem explained.

"Ah, whatever, Clemmy. Stupid school doesn't mean that much to me anyway," Bobby replied, smirking.

"Five years, Bobby Zilch, and it appears you have not changed a bit in arrogance."

"Who said that?" Bobby snapped, raising his fist at the coy voice as Clem flinched.

The freshmen parted, revealing a small, light pink girl with blonde hair donning a pink bow on the back of her head that contained a bushy ponytail. Her eyes were large and violet with a dark blue t-shirt on that had a picture of a gray rocket ship. She had black pants on with matching tennis sneakers. The girl had a few freckles, but it was something about that smile that irked Bobby.

"And…I know you?" he asked suspiciously.

Her head cocked, raising an annoyed eyebrow. "Really, Bobby? It's me, Chloe Barge. We have been communicating through letters for the past five years or has your memory gone haywire?"

Bobby's mouth dropped, taking a step back as he gazed at the shorter girl with that all-knowing look in her eyes. Clem took a step away, fearful that Bobby was going to punch him for missing a name on his list. Chloe? That was his Chloe without the helmet? God, she was beautiful! Like an angel descending from Heaven! Bobby stepped forward, still barefoot, and tentatively asked if she were real.

Chloe took his hand, grinning lightly. "I'm real. Remember, you saw me dancing to that Vocaloid song. Hey, do you recall when we found Mikhail and Maloof making out, and Mikhail almost killed us?"

"Y-yeah, only Chloe would know that…Oh, my God, I can't believe you came!" Bobby cried, embracing her to his chest.

Chloe felt the flurry of red stain her cheeks. Bobby was rather…handsome, better looking than when he was twelve, that was for sure. She felt the muscles in his arms and on his chest, flustered as her tiny arms wrapped around him, face burying into his chest. Even through their letters, Chloe wanted to see him, to see what he had become, and what he had become was wonderful.

They both parted when they heard Clem start to clap, a smirk on his face. "Well, well, looks like Bobby got what he wanted."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chloe questioned guardedly.

"Bobby was so depressed when he thought you weren't coming. I hid your name on my list just to piss him off and make him all weepy. Seriously, he looked like he was going to cry," Clem jeered before activating his shield as Bobby shot a psiblast at him. "Hey, Bobby! What don't you show Chloe around?"

"Go kill yourself, Beaver!" Bobby snarled, taking Chloe's hand and dragging her into the hall. To Chloe, he sighed and shook his head. "Clem turned kinda emo, but he's still a freakin' cheerleader. Same for Crystal, but she's not really as bad as Clem is in terms of…" Bobby shrugged, trying to think of the proper word.

Chloe smirked gently, keeping Bobby's hand in her own. "I can tell. He seems to have become more cynical."

"Yeah, that's it." Bobby chuckled, keeping his grin level. "I think he grew a pair last summer."

"Still with the insults?"

Bobby smirked, flicking her nose lightly as she gasped. "You still like Vocaloid, I bet."

"…Shut up."

"Still, it's great to see you! Sure, writing to you was awesome, but it's been five years since I've last seen your face and heard your voice! You…" He paused in front of the main staircase, keeping her hand in his and blushed. "…you look beautiful. I really didn't recognize you without the helmet."

"My helmet is not allowed in the classes, so the apparent head of this establishment took it from me." At Bobby's disgruntled, annoyed look, Chloe added, "You do not have to kill Mr. Nein."

"Huh? How'd you know-?"

She pointed at her temple. "Telepathy. We are psychics, remember?"

"Y-yeah…wait…does-does mean that you-?"

"I know that I am an alien, Bobby, and I am still searching for my home world." Crossing her arms, she sighed and gazed towards the sky. "You know, right above us is Cygnus A. That's the world I've discovered that I'm from. Since it's so far away, you can't see it, but I know it's there."

Chloe was still the same. The same dedication, quips, and blindness to the fact she was human. She still had those dreaming eyes, the ones that searched the skies endlessly for her world. Bobby trembled slightly, and Chloe noticed it when his hand faltered, letting go. When she asked if he was okay, Chloe gasped once again as Bobby suddenly picked her up like a doll and hugged her again.

"God, I missed you," he admitted, pressing his chin to the top of her head.

Chloe remained placid, blushing for a few moments before smiling and wrapping her arms around his long neck. "I…I missed you, too, Bobby. It's great to see you again."


	8. Bobby's Drunk

"You're drunk."

Twenty-year-old Bobby smiled.

"Really, really, drunk."

Bobby giggled.

Seventeen-year-old Benny sighed, shaking his head and tried to drag Bobby away from the bar, but the blue-skinned man gave a curt whine and clung to the table. "Sometimes, I really worry about ya, boss."

Bobby rolled his eyes and continued to chuckle. They had both grown up, professional Psychonauts on the same time. Benny still had some…minor problems with his powers, but he was still useless as an expert in clairvoyance, shield, and invisibility. Bobby could pretty much do anything with his powers, even though he was slightly weaker than Benny in what his friend excelled at.

"Are you just getting drunk to forget what happened again?" Benny asked, crossing his arms.

Bobby, donning a ripped-at-the-sleeves black jacket and regular Psychonauts sweater and jeans, glared immediately at Benny. "Fuck. Off. Benneh."

Benny smirked, shaking his head. He had on a red jacket with a matching scarf with blue shorts. He had the Psychonauts symbol emblazoned on the back of his jacket. "C'mon, boss, Chloe just got on Maloof's team for this one mission. We all came out alive, and that's what matters most."

Bobby grumbled to himself, downing the rest of his hard drink and sighed. "Well, I jus' dun trusht that Ma-loser. Skeevy, sly, li'l…" Bobby's words slurred, head beginning to pound. "Fuck."

Benny snickered to himself, patting Bobby's shoulder playfully and quickly avoided Bobby's swing at him. Thankfully, he was absolutely plastered so his aim was way off. "Chloe'll be back with us tomorrow, Bobby. Stop worrying."

"Ma-loser has…has at least s-seven hoes waitin' for 'im back home, and he already has one in that fucking communist! He doesn't need MY girlfriend with him!" Bobby slammed his empty glass onto the table, shattering it.

Benny winced, glancing around as the attention of the bar drifted back over to them. "Boss, you're gonna get us busted if anyone sees us in here."

Bobby sighed, muttering his apology and sat up. "I'm jus' worried about her."

"Which is good. It just shows you're a good leader, boss."

"Damn straight. I'm better'n that friggin' Spaz and Ma-ma-motherfuckin-loof." 


	9. I'll Do It For You, Boss

Pairings: Bobby/Chloe, Benny/Dart, Bobby/Benny/Chloe friendship.

He was happy for them.

When Benny was nine, he hated Chloe. He thought of her as nothing more than a Bobby-stealing alien-freak. Instead of hanging out with her, Bobby could have saved him from Mikhail and Maloof.

When he was ten, he became her friend. He thought of her as bold, if uncertain girl who needed a grip on earthly reality. It was at this age that Benny noticed just how infatuated Bobby was with her and felt occasional pangs of jealousy.

At fourteen, Benny was one her closest friends. No longer did he feel envious of her when Bobby was whisked away because she usually asked him to come with her. Plus, watching seventeen-year-old Bobby become flustered around her made Benny laugh. Besides, she, too, liked musicals, and that was a major plus in his book.

Bobby always kept saying he would tell Chloe how he felt, that he loved her. Benny would sneer at him, knowing that Bobby had been trying for years, but something screwed it all up. Be it Nils with his lewdness or Clem and Crystal, still partially suicidal cheerleaders, coming up to them with broad smiles on their faces. Sure, Bobby was Clem and Crystal's friend now, but Benny saw that he was ready to kill both of them for intervening on multiple occasions.

Benny, watching Bobby fail time and time again, felt increasing pity for Bobby. Being a moderately all right empath, he could feel waves of his best friend's disappointment and misery. Every single time, something blocked Bobby from telling her.

Benny's breaking point was when a bucket of paint crashed on top of Chloe's head because a construction worker was not paying attention when Bobby was, for the thousandth time, trying to tell her. He knew he had to intervene, but how? Throw them in a closet together and hope they did not end up like Nils and Elka?

Still, he thought of a plan. One that would get Bobby's feelings out, but would probably embarrass the guy. Benny smirked as he formulated the idea, shaking his head and figuring that the pain was worth it for his best friend.

Morning announcements at PsyAcademy were pretty important if the cadets decided to listen. Bobby, Clem, and Mikhail were in some advanced training program with the dean, Sasha Nein, at the time along with some other nobodies. Bobby was teasing Mikhail, meaning no harm, over his hat again with Clem sighing and shaking his head at their antics.

The trio was surprised when Benny's voice came on the intercom.

"Hey! Chloe Barge! For the love of God, Bobby Zilch is in love with you, and he's been trying to tell you that he loves you since he was thirteen! Go make out with him right now! Like, seriously! Do it right now!"

That was it. Bobby's feelings were out there.

Silence. Sasha, Mikhail, and Clem turned to look at Bobby with wide, dumbfounded stares.

"Called that," Sasha stated after brief moment before turning back to his modified Brain Tumbler.

Bobby was petrified…then he fainted into Clem's arms.

Somewhere across the other side of the school, Chloe was a blank, confused mess with Crystal cheering her on to go tell Bobby how she felt.

When the day was over, Benny had not seen Bobby or Chloe. A few of his fellow cadets were worried, chastising Benny for his rash actions, but he brushed them off. They were okay, right? They had to be. What, did they run off to elope or something?

Knowing them, they probably did.

"That was a nice thing you did for them."

Benny turned around as he entered his room, finding D'artagan Galochio, a long-time friend, smiling at him. He shrugged. "Eh, Bobby was taking too long. Someone had to say it for him. Might as well be me."

"Well, are you all right?"

"Huh?"

"I mean…you three were always together. Now, it might just be him and her."

Benny froze. That thought had never crossed his mind. Him? Alone? He was always with Bobby that it sometimes startled the other cadets. Others accused the duo of being gay several times which they feverishly denied. (Some accused Benny of being gay to other cadets, including Vernon and Maloof, but Benny outright refused them all.)

A hand touched his shoulder, and Benny found Dart's smiling face endearing. "Bobby might try to kill you, but I'll help you however I can."

Benny placed his hand over Dart's, flashing a winning grin. "Thanks, Dart."

…

Two hours later, Bobby had Benny and Dart tied up together in a tree with Chloe hanging around his back.

"But I got your love out!" Benny wailed.

"Yeah, in a way that is going to have assholes tease us about," Bobby hissed before ruffling Benny's hair as Chloe patted Dart's head. "Thanks, Benny."


	10. A Promising Future

Psychonauts © DC Comics

A Promising Future

"Hello, princess."

A helmetless Chloe looked over her shoulder, finding Bobby levitating outside of her window. A lazy grin came to her face, propping the window open and replied, "Good night, prince."

Laughing quietly, Bobby leaped over her and took a gander at her lavished room. A few telescopes were placed nearby her window with her walls decorated with various models of her spaceships and some from television. Scaled models of alien planets, creatures, and shuttles were scattered on her twin tables. In the dimly lit room, Bobby noted the pale purple walls with her tastefully elegant linen-coated bed.

"Sheesh, your parents indulge you much?" Bobby sniggered.

"My adoptive parents still believe in the finer things in life. They will never understand the true meaning of honest and hard work. After all, the mansion itself was passed down through Barge generations or so I was told," Chloe mused, swaying past Bobby in her light pink nightgown. Sitting on a stool, she replaced on the lenses on a telescope and wondered, "Any reason for the visit?"

A crooked grin came to his face. Flying behind her, Bobby wrapped his arms around her stomach and placed his chin on her bare shoulder. "I wanted to see ya. The Psychonauts got boring, and Sasha and the coach bitched out Clem an' me this morning. Something about coffee and tacky lamps." He waved his free hand at the sixteen-year-old to emphasize his annoyance. "I think Sasha's goin' a bit nuts."

As Bobby circled his finger around his ear, Chloe chuckled lightly and smiled. "Agent Nein seems to be putting you through much turmoil these days. Is that you barely called me last month?"

"Heeey, I was in Mexico helping the American government fight against drug trafficking. I had no service, and Sasha wouldn't let me use a phone. Said something about people listening in and figuring out I'm a Psychonaut," the twenty-one-year-old whined. "Besides, your dad monitors our conversations."

"Sorry about that. He is very controlling over my life now that I am close to adulthood. My father would be very pleased if I were to quit my psychic training to become a model like Mother."

Bobby made a disgusted face. "Models are stupid. I mean, your mom is the nicest lady, but there are some freaky models out there."

Chloe sighed, leaning against his chest and looked up at him. "How're the others?"

"Get this…Dart and Benny are dating."

Her mouth dropped in shock faster than an apple falling off a tree. "No. Way."

"Way." Bobby brightened considerably at her compelling dumbfounded look. "They're totally lovey-dovey."

"About time. I knew those two would hook up eventually."

"And Clem and Crystal? Those two are freakin' engaged."

"No fooling?" Chloe whirled around with excitement in her violet eyes.

Bobby nodded, scooping Chloe up into his arms. She nestled into his chest as he lowered himself to the floor and sat down on the pristinely white rug that covered every inch of her room. "Yeah, and Crys said she tried calling you like crazy to break the news."

"My father is not letting anyone from the Psychonauts speak with me, cadets included, for this week," she morbidly replied. "He wanted me home to celebrate his company's insurance latest scam. This time, he ruined the life of an elderly woman and stripped her of her home because she could not pay a few bills."

Bobby scowled, securely wrapping his arms around her again and scoffed, "I hate your dad. Sorry, but he's manipulative. A total dick."

She sighed, snuggling into him with a tiny as Bobby beamed at her affection. "Ever since he realized I was interested in space and shared a desire to continue my psychic training, he has put me on very strict terms. Wait, how'd you bypass the security cameras? They are so numerous and-"

"Levitation and invisibility."

"Impressive, my prince."

"Heh, princess, don't worry. I ain't lettin' your dad kick me out…again."

"Well, to ensure you don't get caught, you'll have to stay the night."

Bobby's discolored eyes went wide for a few moments before asking, "Will that be all right? Don't wanna get you in trouble with you old man."

"Yes, but…" She leaped up, pointing to his attire. "…you will have to chance."

Bobby looked at his torn double zero jersey and black undershirt with matching, shredded slacks. Like his childhood, he wore no shoes and still had his sweatbands. "What's wrong with this?"

"They're dirty, Bobby." Chloe smirked as he sighed, resigning to his fate. "Do not be afraid. I have bathrobe in my closet. It's pink with stars and moons on it."

Groaning distressfully, he nodded and took off his clothing save for his white boxers. Noticing Chloe had a slight blush on her face as she watched, he smirked, placing his hand on his hip and decided to milk the moment for all it was worth. "Like what you see, Chloe?"

"Yes," she absentmindedly replied before furiously and hurrying to her closet. "Damn his muscles. What happened to that lanky kid from camp?"

Bobby snickered gleefully to himself. With the prized knowledge of knowing she thought he was hot, he floated over to her and placed his hands on his cheeks as Chloe pulled out the heinous bathrobe. Before he could make his move, Chloe slapped the bathrobe in his face.

Yelping, Bobby flew backwards and struggled to remove the loose sleeves from his eyes. Chloe shook her head at his blatant stupidity, wondering what genius decided to let him become a Psychonaut. Bobby continued to grumble curses during his inspection of the bathrobe. It was hot pink with blue, yellow, and purple stars and moons like she previously described along with a red sash to tie around himself and secure the bathrobe. Slipping it around himself, Bobby felt it to be a little constricting around his chest with extra space around his hips.

"I. Feel. Stupid," Bobby deadpanned, lowering his glare at her.

"You look nice. Pink is your color," Chloe sniggered, biting back laughter.

Bobby raised an eyebrow, walking over to her mirror and checked himself out. Pink looked rather appealing on the blue-skinned young man, making his eyes stand out along with his white teeth. Making a few poses, he hummed approvingly and replied, "Chloe, you're totally right! I make this hot!"

Shushing him frantically, Chloe shot a glance over to her door. Hearing no footsteps, she gave a relieved sigh. "Maybe you should model. I think the career would suit you."

"I think my dad wanted to be one before he became a dentist," Bobby chortled.

Bobby sat down on her bed and gestured for her to come. Chloe smiled, sitting by him with her latest ship diagram. He listened to her talk about the spacecraft's mechanism, grinning devotedly and even understood what she was saying for the most part. Bobby always knew how terribly she wanted to flee this planet, but in recent years, it was not because she thought she was an alien. Instead, both were curious in exploration. Space fascinated them with the opportunities and grandeur it presented beyond the thick, black blanket of the sky. It was an unknown adventure that made Chloe beam and shudder as she planned for it, and she inspired Bobby with her boldness and outlook for her future that may involve him. It was one of the many reasons why Bobby loved her.

"So, wait, if you have engine thrusters there…" Bobby pointed to cylindrical devices attached at the bottom of the oval, thin spaceship. "…where's the emergency exit gonna be?"

"Good question. The door is hidden because I didn't have much time to scribble one on. It's on the very bottom of the ship with a pod in means of escape in case there is an alien attack. I figured invisibility would also suffice in case we need a speedy getaway if we are ever attacked by hostiles," Chloe explained.

"Cool! Heh, bein' a Psychonaut is nothing compared to alien invaders," Bobby chortled.

"Chloe! Prepare yourself for bed! Put all of your mindless space creations in your closet so the morning maids don't trip on them again or I will have an unwanted lawsuit on my hands!"

"Yes, Father!" Chloe called before sticking her tongue out. "We are holding a dinner tomorrow as part of the celebration of Father's cruel scam. He is acting paternal to show my mother he is not neglecting me, and she is not even here."

"I hate your dad," Bobby snarled before a smirk came to his face. "Ya know, we could sneak out and give your pa a heart attack."

"That would be acceptable, but I am concerned if my father sees you. He is not fond of you in the slightest, and he would be infuriated if he saw you…" Chloe looked down at his bathrobe. "…in that."

Bobby winked. "'Specially since this belongs to you."

"Chloe?" Knocking feel upon her door, making them jump slightly. "I have to talk to you immediately. Are you decent?"

Beside her, Chloe felt Bobby turn invisible, and she quickly tucked his clothing underneath her bed without skipping a beat. "Enter, please."

Her father, a slick, tall, well-built man with coiled, greasy, black hair and a five o'clock shadow on his dark yellow skin, flowed in with a smoking cigar. Chloe felt Bobby's hand on her shoulder as she tersely greeted him as he took an annoyed, unabashed look around her room.

"I thought I told you to clean up," Mr. Daniel Barge recalled, gesturing to her room that was filled with models and blueprints on her floor.

"I was just about to when you decided to speak with me, Father," Chloe reported, nodding her head to acknowledge his request.

"Sweetie, we've got to talk about this space nonsense." He flicked some ashes off his cigar that landed gingerly onto her model of the solar cycles of Cygnus A.

"'Nonsense,' Father? I would not call it that," she objected, raising her voice slightly.

"You're a smart girl, Chloe. Aliens don't exist." He chuckled lightly, shaking his head as he brushed gray ashes off his pinstripe tuxedo. "Besides, if man could live on Mars, we'd have houses there, and I would be selling them!"

Chloe crossed her arms, standing up as if to challenge him. "Well, humans should try harder instead of causing so much unnecessary, shameful war. Is there anything else you want? I would like to go to bed as you previously requested."

Daniel sighed, sitting down on her bed and grabbed her, hugging Chloe to his muscular chest. As he looked on, Bobby clenched his fists as her father spoke. "There's also the Psychonauts ordeal. I don't think someone like you should pursue that career."

"Listen, Chloe." His tone lowered darkly, dangerously in her mind as he wrapped his massive arm around her, making her grunt painfully. She was crushed into his chest, face nearly being smothered by his suit as Daniel took another drag. Blowing spoke, he hissed, "You're my adopted daughter, left on my doorstep when you were a baby. Forsaken and alone in a basket by drug addicts. Chloe, sweetie, I could have left you to die in the wet rain and cold that fateful December day, but I didn't. I took you in, and you will obey me. Besides, the father knows what is right for his precious daughter. Also, your supposed friends are incredibly insane. That blue man? Ha! He's a redneck."

Chloe wormed out of his grasp, wobbling as she stood when Bobby reached out and grabbed her arm. Taking a breath as Daniel crossed his legs on her bed, she faced her father with a confident glare.

"What's that look for? Is my reasoning not going through your head?" Daniel haughtily demanded.

"Father, I will continue to be a Psychonaut, and I'd appreciate it if you left my friends alone."

"What?" he bellowed furiously, heaving forward as if to attack her and hovered over the shorter, blonde-haired girl.

"Calm down. I enjoy the training, and I have people who care about me, including that 'blue man' you insulted. All of us cadets grew up together in the training, and we all bonded like a family. I will go on with my training to become a pilot or a space agent of the Psychonauts."

"You listen to me, young lady! The Psychonauts are for freaks! I won't have you becoming a freakish psychic agent ruin the good Barge name!"

"As if you do not do that with your financial scams." At his gasp, Chloe crossed her arms with a bold aura surrounding her. "I'm not stupid. You ruined the lives of thousands with your inhumane insurance company, denying those poor people a right to lives, and you steal their money. You even denied an operation for a young boy with cancer. He died days after he could have had an operation that would have saved his life, but you denied his family that right. To be perfectly honest, I am ashamed being your daughter!"

_Damn, you go, Chloe! _Bobby telepathically gushed, grinning eagerly as he leaned forward in support.

Daniel straightened, taking a quick drag to ease his troubles. Blowing out smoke in her direction as she cringed, he sighed lazily. As Chloe coughed on the incoming smoke, Daniel whiplashed his hand like lightning across her face. "Don't you ever call me out like that ever again, you orphaned bitch!"

"Chloe!" Bobby screamed, turning visible as she shot over to him. Catching the injured girl in his arms to Daniel's building shock, he inspected her with horror emanating off him. A painful, purple patch nearly covered her entire right cheek, almost bludgeoning her eye that seemed to start to swell from her hit. "Oh, my God. You son of bitch!"

"What the hell is he doing here?" Daniel shrieked as Bobby cradled her to his chest.

"He is…m-my boyfriend," Chloe weakly stammered, getting out of his Bobby's arms. Her faced ached terribly, spreading throughout her brain and decided to ignore the trifling agony in order to dull the throbbing. Forcing the tears to stay in her eyes, she added, "If don't like it…fuck off."

"I will kill you!" Bobby roared, using his telekinesis to heave Daniel into the air. "Fuckin' scumbag, how dare you-?"

"Bobby, put him down," Chloe quietly ordered, lowering her head.

Looking down at her in concerned worry, he uttered, "B-but…Chloe…"

"It's fine. Please do as I say."

Sighing, Bobby dropped Daniel onto his stomach. Clenching his fists, Bobby tried controlling his overwhelming rage, feeling like a volcano already erupting. He steadied Chloe, feverishly asking if she was all right. When she remained silent, his heart dropped into his stomach when he heard Daniel snicker.

"I remember you. You're that redneck, Agent Bobby Zilch. A fitting last name since you mean nothing. You were that also that ugly kid with the terribly misshapen teeth. Besides, Chloe knows who is in charge here. She will do what I say as a member of this household."

"You can't dictate her life! What kinda father are you?" Bobby shouted.

"A father to his dear, adopted baby. She knows that I could've left her die, but I let her live with me. She's intelligent and pretty, but too demanding and bold. She needs to simmer down."

"You don't know who she is at all. Chloe is the most smartest, greatest, coolest girl I know. Her personality is awesome, and she is one the most accepting people I know. She shouldn't be forced to change because you want to her act differently."

"What I find interesting," Chloe suddenly interjected, raising her bleary gaze, "is the sudden interest you have in me. When I was a child and growing adolescent, you paid little attention to me. When you discovered I was curious about space, you deemed me a freak because I was different. You wanted me to become a prissy, dumb heir to your fortune and marry a nice, little, rich boy to obtain his money. To you, I am nothing…but a pawn." Chloe crossed her arms, glaring very similarly to Bobby. "Bobby understands who I am, and he accepts for being this way. I treasure that about him, his understanding. Father, I won't be a little fool that you can use. I request a full emancipation from you in every form possible."

"What did you-? You want to leave! Ha! You can't. You're sixteen. You can't be free from me until you're eighteen," Daniel sneered victoriously.

"Actually, the Psychonauts training program houses cadets until they become full-fledged agents. I'm sure Agent Vodello would love to have Chloe back," Bobby interposed.

"Shut your damn mouth, you pedophile! She's sixteen! You're five years older than she is. Fucking pedophilic freak, wearing my daughter's bathrobe. Where is your clothing? I bet you forced her to perform sexual acts, didn't you?" Daniel raged as Bobby gasped, terror striking through the Psychonaut.

"This is between you and me, Father! Leave Bobby out of this!" Chloe ordered.

"You let yourself go too far this time, Chloe! You've become too immersed in your insane fantasies! Him, space, psychics, all sorts of crazy thoughts! I was going to wait until the dinner tomorrow, but you may as well know that I've planned an economic marriage for you into the Canola family. I need their endorsement for my company, and you were a good playing card. Your fiancé is named Maloof, and he's a very charming boy from what I've heard."

Suddenly the pain in Chloe's face ebbed away completely. Her heart panged far worse than any suffering in her face. Horror beseeched her as she tried to collect herself, feeling her arms would fall off at any moment from the cold blood that ran through her. An arranged marriage to Maloof? It was worse than thinking the world would be invaded by aliens! Far more terrible than her father striking her!

"To Maloof?" Bobby incredulously questioned. "No…no, she can't…" His voice weakened, trembling and quieting as the Barges both looked at him. Chloe was being taken from him, sent to her death in his mind! "But I love her."

"As if I'd even let you-"

"Bobby…can I take you up on your previous offer?" Chloe asked tenderly, balling her hands into fists. "Can we sneak out?"

Bobby gazed at her in a fit of astonishment as she reflected her pleading gaze onto him. Realizing what she was doing, he smirked lightly and scooped her up into his arms before Daniel could react. Using his telekinesis, he grabbed his discarded clothing and a few of her own and tossed them into a nearby bag. Hoisting that around his shoulder, he replied, "Yes, my princess."

As Daniel lunged at them, they turned invisible, and Bobby flew out the opened window. They laughed mirthfully, listening to the outraged death threats of her father. Chloe curled up into his chest, mewling happily as they turned visible once they were out of the mansion's sight. Bobby kissed her gingerly, not wanting to aggravate her condition.

"You are so badass," Bobby gushed, stroking through her hair and played with her bow. "You're my warrior princess."

"Thank you, Bobby. This was rather impulsive of me, and I may regret it, but not now. Ow! My cheek really does hurt." She groaned, rubbing it for a brief second before feeling it twitch.

"Man, it's a shiner, but, ya know, on your cheek."

"Bobby, your pitiable language skills never cease to impress me."

"Hey!" he cried cantankerously until she kissed his check. "Aw, you're sweet."

She grinned before averting her gaze to the night sky. Bobby hovered in the air with her in his arms for a while, watching the night with her. Stars twinkled and glimmered throughout the velvet night with the half moon guiding their way back the Psychonauts training program in Whispering Rock. He knew he could not bring her to the actual Psychonauts HQ since she was still a cadet, but Milla would always allow them back at the training grounds.

"It's so much more pretty," Chloe mused, "when you're closer to the sky. I feel like I can grab a star."

"Nothin' stopping you," Bobby whispered, smiling warmly.

"When I become a Psychonaut, I will build this ship." She revealed her ship design once again. "You and I will finally be able to explore the galaxy together."

"And I can fight any evil aliens, right? Blast their heads off with my awesome psychic skills?" Bobby quickly entreated, giddy like a child over candy. When Chloe nodded, he uttered a happy cry and spun around in the air with Chloe tucked tightly against his chest. Laughing, Bobby dashed off with Chloe detaching herself and flying next to him. "It's gonna be so awesome in space! We'll see new worlds, kick alien ass, and it'll just be so damn awesome! I can't wait to Benny and Clem! They'll be sooo jealous!"

Chloe laughed, face stinging with the effort, but felt it was worth it anyway. "Goodness, my prince, you're like a little kid!"

"Well, princess, you're outta your castle and into the real world with me! C'mon, let's get going! Flying to Whispering Rock is gonna be pretty long, and I wanna get there ASAP!"

"Bobby Zilch, you are something else."

He winked. "Chloe Barge, you're outta this world.


	11. Can Anybody Hear Me?

Can Anybody Hear Me?

He listened.

If there was something Bobby Zilch lacked in, it was listening. He utterly despised being told what to do by anyone, including his neglectful aunt who acted as if Bobby simply did not exist. Bobby had attended Oleander's class with Benny, but even though he left Benny behind to get ahead of Raz, he was stalled because a voice was ringing softly in the back of his mind.

"Can anybody hear me?"

She sounded so desperate, wounded even. Bobby turned around after he booted Raz off the ledge.

"Please, respond."

Whoever she was, Bobby heard never had a voice so pitiable, weak even. Bobby leaped down, landing near a thatch of thorny shrubbery and a sign that, like Raz previously suspected, led to the exit. Yet, he kept hearing that voice, proclaiming that she was detained in the camp and heard alien voices since she was a kid.

Still, her voice was longing to be heard, begging and pleading in secret. Bobby remained still as he glanced over to Raz and Lili chatting about whatever losers talked about. The girl continued entreating to be heard, almost sounding as if she would cry at any moment. Essentially, Bobby would relish in hearing the grating wails of his bullied victims, but this was entirely different.

He had never met her before nor bullied her. Why would she have a reason to cry? She thought she was an alien being imprisoned on earth for crying out loud! While his empathetic powers were somewhat lacking, he could feel her misery, and it made his skin crawl and itch. Sighing, Bobby removed the Smelling Salts he stole from Benny and opened them.

Before he knew it, he was back in the real world after a quick ride through a blue and green swirling wave, watching his fellow cadets twitch and shudder with their mentalities in Oleander's mind. Sneaking past the coach, he looked over him and gasped silently.

Standing on a chair was a little girl with her head wrapped up in a space helmet. Dainty was the perfect word to describe her, being so small that she would barely come up to his chest. She leaned her helmet towards Oleander's radio, listening in and repeated her message to Polarissma Australis. Bobby remained deathly silent, watching the small girl in interest as she continued to reiterate her speech, asking for any sort of help. What he found fascinated was the part about her building a spaceship. He had no idea that there were smart girls in the camp!

"Can anybody…?" She broke off, lowering her head and keeping her hand on the radio. A soft sob escaped her mouth, making Bobby cringe. "Can anybody hear me?"

"I can," he replied before he could stop himself.

Her head whirled over to him faster than lightning. Bobby took a few careful strides towards her as the girl suddenly leaped off the chair, narrowing her suspicious gaze at him. They remained silent for a few moments before she crossed her arms over her chest as if she were trying to appear imposing.

"Who are you, earthling?"

"Name's Bobby Zilch. I've been comin' to this dumb camp for years, but I ain't never seen you before." Bobby pointed at her. "What's yer name?"

She hesitated, analyzing his gawky stature and row of grotesque teeth. Gazing at the clumped, orange, hair-like tumor on his head, she lowered her arms to her side. "Chloe Barge."

"That's a nice name," Bobby stated, trying to be friendly as she tersely nodded and went back to her work. "Ya know, I could hear you in the coach's head."

"Really?" Chloe cocked her head at him.

"Yeah…you kinda sounded sad." He quickly cleared his throat, not wanting to lose any prestige as the camp bully by acting kind to anyone. "It distracted me."

"Ah, sorry, but I have to keep this up."

"Why?"

"Because somewhere in space, my people are looking for me."

"You mean those aliens ya keep tryin' to talk with?"

She nodded. "Yes, now, if you don't mind, I'm busy. I have to reach them before the end of this detainment camp."

"Why?"

Chloe barely glanced over to him, but Bobby caught to morbidity shining in her dark eyes. "Because I will never have a chance like this again. Calling Polarissma-"

Bobby tuned out, watching her in utter fascination. She was so forlorn, but determined, a far cry from the rest of the girls at Whispering Rock. Chloe acted tough, cool even. He had never met a girl like her before, one that actually could stand speaking to him for more than ten seconds. The way she kept herself strong through her strife made his heart pang oddly, prompting him to reach out and grasp her hand. Chloe sent him a dumbfounded glower, her eyes wide behind her helmet as he smirked quirkily.

"Lemme try. They might listen to me since I'm the Strong Man of this place," he offered, trying to sound suave, but failed when she hummed distastefully.

"Are you an alien perchance? Are you from Fath 703 or Cygnus A?" she questioned, a sense of eagerness to her voice.

Deciding to play along, Bobby shrugged. "Heh, who knows?"

"Fine, earthli-Bobby." Chloe leaped down from the chair, allowing Bobby to step up.

Smirking, Bobby placed one hand to his temple and gripped one of the knobs she was holding. Closing his eyes, Bobby asked if he was doing everything right so far. Hearing her simple acquiesce, Bobby cleared his thoughts to concentrate and asked her to prepare herself.

_Hey! Aliens or whatever! Lishen up! Stop ignorin' Chloe, and talk back to 'er right now or I'll come up to shpace and kick all of your asshes!_

His drawling lisp echoed and boomed throughout camp, thundering like a raging, furious storm. Even Chloe drew back in surprise at the boisterous, booming noise as Bobby waited for any sort of response. From his telepathic shrieking, Nils had fallen into the hole he made for the girls' cabin and had gotten stuck while Dogen curled up into a ball, thinking the squirrels were plotting revenge.

"Bobby Zilch!"

Flinching, Bobby ripped himself away as Chloe held her helmet in shock. Coach Oleander glared at him through his good eye, glass eye wobbling slightly in his head. He shouted at the boy to get away from his radio and return to class before opening his Psycho Portal, forcing Bobby to submit to his will as he felt his astral projection being taken from him. All the while, Chloe stared at Oleander before a very tiny grin came to her face and returned to her work.

Once Basic Braining was completed, just barely earning his merit badge and toying with Raz, Bobby ordered Benny to meet him at the docks where they would torture fish. However, he found that mysterious alien girl missing and decided to search for her. He had no idea why he really cared so much about her, but her personality and alien heritage fascinated him completely.

Maybe she really was an alien! Aliens were so much cooler than stupid humans. She acted understanding, almost to the point that she could, perhaps, emphasize with him. They both disliked where they were on their rotten world, and if Chloe was trying to escape, maybe space would have something in store for Bobby as well. Bobby had no physical attachments to the world with his mother dying in childbirth and his father vanishing years ago. No one cared for him.

As Bobby walked past the Main Lodge, he happened to look up and opened his mouth to scream when he saw Chloe holding onto an extended antenna coming out from the lodge's roof. Hurrying into the lodge, he shoved past Milka and bolted up the stairs, bashing the door open with his fist before skidding to a stop next to Chloe.

"Wh-wh-wh-what th' hell do ya think yer doin'?" Bobby asked, panting quickly.

"To get a better range to contact my people, I think I can adjust this antenna to give my thoughts further range." Chloe swiveled her hips, facing Bobby now and giving him his full attention. "I must thank you, Bobby."

"Huh? Why?" Bobby blinked in surprise. Nobody ever thanked him for anything.

"When you spoke to the alien entities above, they responded. You may not have heard it from using your mental prowess, but I could. They said, 'We hear you.'"

Bobby smirked, crossing his arms. "Of course they'd lishen ta me! I'm the Strong Man here and in outer space. So…need any help? I don't have much going on for me besides torture fish with Benny."

"Ya know, fish and dolphins are intergalactic peacekeepers."

"…Really?"

She nodded, returning to her work. "I'll be testing out some spaceship designs later if you wish to stop by."

A grin pulled at the right corner of his mouth. "Well, all right! I'll be there. See ya later, Chloe!"

"Farewell, Bobby."

Chloe watched the proud boy leaving, humming as she mulled over her thoughts about him. He was the first person to believe without a moment's hesitation that she was an alien. Her adopted parents thought she was crazy and the other "misfit earth children" deemed her as "weird." Perhaps it was because he was a fellow alien, and he did not know it. Maybe they were both being detained in this strange camp, but Bobby was unknowing of his true heritage. Leaping down off the antenna, she safely landed on the roof and hummed.

"I guess somebody heard me after all."


	12. Telescope

Telescope

He counted it as the ninth time he saw her going to the roof of the Main Lodge. When everyone would go to sleep, Bobby would hear rustling from the other side of the cabin, and then the eventual pitter-patter of footsteps and creaking of floorboards. Pretending to be asleep by lying on his stomach, he would keep one eye open to find Chloe sneaking out of the cabin with a telescope.

Bobby sat up in his bed, careful not to alert Benny who was sleeping underneath him. Slipping out of his bed, he glanced around the room, finding everyone else was in a deep sleep. Bobby found Chloe already past Oleander's tree-house, heading towards the wooden, rickety bridge and decided that he should follow.

Utilizing his weaker power of invisibility, Bobby crept out of the cabin, careful not to disturb the cheerleading duo who were, surprisingly, very light sleepers. Once he felt he was far away enough, Bobby let his invisibility stop and started over to the bridge. He would have called out to her, but he knew what Oleander would do to him if he caught him sneaking out after curfew. Shuddering at the memory of those awful hours in the GPC pod, Bobby quietly followed Chloe as she was already across.

Being quicker than Bobby expected, he watched in a fit of surprise when Chloe summoned her levitation and bounced up and down a few times to prepare herself. Taking a rather high leap to Bobby's shock, she landed on her feet on the highest point of the roof. She wobbled slightly, arms flailing slightly to steady herself before uttering a short sigh and took hold of her telescope. He watched as she adjusted it to a better degree or whatever telescopes used. He really had no idea how to work anything she had. Chloe brought it to her eye, humming before noticing the splurge of orange on the darkened ground.

Bobby offered a quirky grin when he realized he had been caught. He waved hesitantly as Chloe tersely greeted him, asking if he was allowed to come. He retorted that she was not supposed to be up there. Chloe grinned slightly that was hidden behind her helmet, nodding in agreement as Bobby summoned his own levitation ball and imitated her.

Now standing next to her, Bobby asked what she was doing so late at night. Chloe pointed up to the sky, and he followed her longing gaze. Up above them were thousands of stars, and Chloe mused that among them were planets. Each planet was a potential home for her. She added that she was hoping to locate her real home before the camp was over. Bobby sat down, asking her why.

Chloe opened her mouth slightly as if to respond. She slowly lowered her telescope, trying to find the right words to say. Bobby was the only camper that did not openly mock her for her belief that she was an alien. In fact, it seemed he almost supported her research in occult. She was grateful that some cadet even bothered to spend time with her, but Chloe tried not to attach herself to anyone. She knew that if she ever left Earth, the separation would be difficult for the other person, meaning Bobby.

Bobby took the telescope from her, aiming it over his eye with his tongue sticking out slightly. He pointed up to a random spot where he was looking through, asking if her home was there. Chloe looked, but she had already seen that one and shook her head. Bobby repeated his action, but Chloe, once again, shook her head. Bobby frowned slightly, hitting her telescope lightly and nearly jabbed it in his eye when he looked through it again and asked if another star was her home.

She told him to stop. It was not his need to help her. If anything, Chloe felt that she alone would be capable of finding her world. Bobby shook his head, bluntly stating he wanted to help and continued to look. Chloe cocked her helmeted head, thoroughly surprised by Bobby's response. He never did anything without getting something in return be it arrowheads or a chance to humiliate someone. She was ready to ask why when Bobby asked if her if he had found another potential home for her. Chloe remained silent for a moment as Bobby began twisting his head to get a better look, still unused to telescopes.

"Hey, Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you really want to help me look for my home? Being generous is not something earthlings are known for."

She failed to notice the slight blush on his cheeks. "Ehh, I just, ya know, wanted to help you out. Nothin' big or anything. So...is that it?"

Chloe shook her head again, smiling lightly.

"What's the grin for? I thought you'd be sad," Bobby questioned, somewhat curious at her slightly beaming face.

"I am just glad that someone wants to help me look. Thank you, Bobby."

Bobby grinned quirkily, delight forming on his face as he lowered the telescope. "Oh, well, heh. No-no problem. So...is that it?"

"No."

"We're gonna be here for a while, ain't we?"

"Affirmative."


	13. Help

Help

It was a terrible idea, but he would never say that aloud. Still, he could not remove that foreboding feeling in his gut as Bobby Zilch trudged behind the smaller girl. Surrounding them on the dark blue night was the trembling asylum. He kept flicking about his mismatched gaze, having no experience in being able to sense a person's presence like Milka Phage or Chops Sweetwind.

Why was he doing this again? Risking his life so she could get a better signal for that stupid radio? Well, Bobby was not just about to let her go alone, especially with Oleander still on the loose and that monster that attacked them. Bobby looked down at his left leg, feeling it throb through the hidden bandages. Before they had their brains snatched, that aquatic creature surprised them in the forest, and Bobby tried to defeat her, but the beast threw him against the side of a tree, nearly gouging his leg before swallowing him and Chloe whole. After that, Bobby did not want to think about the rest.

He aimlessly kicked a piece of decrypt rubble as Chloe Barge looked up at the disfigured building. Thorny Towers was a wreck and a half. Chunks of the asylum were missing and falling off as they walked into a secluded area where they found a barely secured elevator. They could not help but stare when an extremely tall man chased around a shorter, half-blind man in a straitjacket.

"There're still psychos in this place?" Bobby exclaimed, crossing his arms as Chloe noted the elevator. "Where ya goin'?"

"To get a better signal to contact my people in space, we have to go a higher place," Chloe explained as she looked up towards the starry night. Gripping Oleander's radio to her chest, she proclaimed, "We'll have to try the top."

Deciding not to question her as he stepped in with her, Bobby locked the door tightly, just in case something were to happen to her. He still had trouble believing he was back at the asylum where his brain was stolen by that madman. Chloe could have chosen somewhere safer and saner, but, alas, she chose the place he secondly loathed. Bobby impatiently tapped his foot, demanding to know why the elevator was not working as Chloe began tinkering with it.

Almost as if it were a cue, the elevator sprung up to the sky, sending Chloe toppling onto her back, and Bobby grabbing onto the rusted bars with a shocked cry. Wind shot down at the their faces, forcing them to grip the bars tightly, hoping the sheer intensity of the ride would be over soon as Bobby winced and held his flaring leg. Chloe noted it, shouting over the wind if he was all right.

"What?" Bobby shrieked back.

"Is your leg fine?" Chloe shouted.

"My peg?"

"Leg! Your leg!"

The elevator jerked to a stop, making them both wobble and nearly collapse. Registering what Chloe had said, Bobby cleared his throat, trying to look cool and determined. He denied any pain and said he was fine, ignoring another wave of pain as he sourly limped over to the door. Chloe beat him to it, opening the door and holding it out for him.

"You should not push yourself. Earthly primates like yourself cannot stand to be too much agony. You should have stayed back at the imprisoning camp," she lectured as Bobby managed past her.

"Hey, you're the one that decided to come over here. I just wanted to make sure the coach didn't kill ya while you weren't looking." He smirked as her white eyes flared slightly. "Besides, you are pretty out of it at times." When Chloe frowned, Bobby waved his hand, smirking quirkily and tugging at his shirt. "Uh, n-not that it's, uh, ya know, a bad thing."

"I suppose I should be more aware of my surroundings. That way, that monstrous being would not have caught us, and you would not have had your leg nearly torn from your lanky body."

Deciding to ignore the obviously mild insult, Bobby continued to walk behind her as they walked towards a large, cylindrical building. They recognized it as part of that madman's laboratory, and Chloe glanced over to Bobby, finding him gulp subconsciously. It was clear that he despised that place, having been forced to watch that insane dentist sneeze her own brain out before she assumed he did the same to Bobby. Yet, she understood the man's features resembled Bobby's in a way that was uncanny and nearly frightening.

"Ya wanna go up there?" Bobby questioned, pointing to an antenna on top of the lab.

"That would be acceptable," she responded as they summoned their levitation balls and bounced onto the roof.

Below them, they heard insults and voices being tossed back and forth. They assumed it was Raz, the coach, and others that they had no care for. Bobby propped Chloe on top of the antenna, and with a few handy mechanism she swiped from Oleander's tree-house, she attached the radio to the top of the antenna.

"I'll need absolute silence for this," she warned, and Bobby nodded, stating he would be on the look-out for Oleander. Placing her hand to the left side of her helmet, she extended her right arm, keeping her palm lowered and wrist slightly bent. She continued to call on any extraterrestrials to come participate in either saving the world or rescuing them from the inevitable takeover. Yet, like before, even with her telepathy at full peak, no one responded.

"I do no understand," Chloe muttered, lowering her gaze as Bobby stared at the back of her helmet, "why they no longer respond. They spoke to me so much as a child. Why don't they talk to me now?"

He winced at the slight desperation in her voice, having not expected her to be so morbid about it. He knew little to nothing about aliens, but he, like everyone else she came in contact with, understood she was human. However, Bobby refused to tell her, even with Milla's previous urgings as she saw him as Chloe's only friend at camp. The pain she exhibited now would only be exemplified, and Bobby would not be able to see her so sad and down. It just would not suit Chloe to be miserable about something so shocking as that, even though he believed the truth would be better to hear.

"Hey, don't worry," Bobby offered, stepping around to her side as Chloe slid down from the antenna. "So, the aliens ain't talkin' back. No big deal, Chloe. It's not the end of the world."

They stared at each other for a moment, registering the blatant foolishness of Bobby's last statement.

"I'll assume that you haven't been paying attention to when the coach said he was going to use brain tanks to take over the world?"

Bobby frowned when she grinned. "Ah, screw it. C'mon, Chloe, we'll find somewhere else to-"

"_Ah-Ah-Ah-AHCHOO!"_

Before either knew it, the asylum began to tower and shake. Blasts of smoke and debris began flying below them. Explosions rocked their senses, turning confusion into immediately horrified shock as the roof of the dentist's lab suddenly gave out. Bobby shot out, grabbing Chloe's hand and took a fatal leap off the roof. Without thinking at all, Bobby's telekinetic hand sprouted out and snatched onto the wall of the asylum, and he swung over to it, clinging to it as Chloe clung to his jersey.

"You okay?" he shouted, the asylum still falling.

"The radio!" she blurted, jerking her head up, and her helmet smacked his chin.

"We can't go back for it! We'll get blown up!"

Chloe gritted her teeth, keeping her grip on Bobby's jersey tight as the older man struggled to maintain his grip. She felt the vibrations crashing and surrounding her, chunks of debris falling around them. She imagined a scene in an old movie her father brought home where bodies were crashing into the icy ocean from a sinking ship, shivering and holding onto Bobby's jersey even tighter than before.

As for Bobby, his face matched the tint of the reddest parts of his unkempt hair. He refused to make any eye contact with her, praying that she would not see him, Bobby Zilch, the camp strongman, blushing. If Maloof or that stupid communist saw him, he would hear no end to it.

Yet, Bobby kept his free arm around Chloe, using her other hand to hold onto the wall in free of his telekinetic grip slipping, even though his already tired mind was beginning to falter. He was still weary and weak from his fight with the lungfish and having his brain removed. If anything, Bobby wanted to be home in his spring-infested bed and dealing with his raving aunt than being in consistent fear of dropping Chloe to her death. His mind ached with his leg, pulsing and throbbing as Bobby uttered a weak groan, gritting down on his horrendous teeth to try and keep the strain off of his mind.

However, as Chloe managed to toss up her telekinetic hand to hold onto the wall, a blast shot out at them from above, and their grips slipped. Immediately, gravity slammed onto them, forcing the two down to a dismal doom as their voices left them. Debris and smoke cluttered around them as they fell, spiraling down to a certain, stony ground, shooting down like failed rockets. Chloe looked up to Bobby, and even with the world spiraling around them, he could make out her lips moving.

_I'm sorry._

Bobby smiled.

_It's okay._

Chloe smiled back.

They saw the floor speeding towards them, making out the crevices of the lower deck and floor. Fate changed. Something gripped at them, and a shock ruptured through their bodies.

Bobby woke up with a jerk, head shooting up to nearly hit J.T. Hoofburger in the head. He shouted for Chloe, but gasped sharply when J.T. gripped his shoulders tightly. Demanding to know where Chloe was, Bobby looked over when J.T. pointed to Chops directing the younger girl over to him.

"Chloe, you're okay? Nothin' broken?" Bobby questioned frantically, ready to stand up until the pain in his leg made him collapse to his side.

"She's fine, partner," J.T. soothed, kneeling next to him as Chloe sat by him.

"There's nothing wrong with her," Chops added. "What you should be concerned about is how you're doing, eh? That leg you have is pretty messed up."

Bobby placed his hand over shin subconsciously. "Eh, it's nothing. What happen?"

Chops and J.T. looked at each other in a fit of apprehension before the latter turned to them. "Ya see, a man in a white overcoat just waltzed right on in and placed you two in front of us. Said somethin' about bein' sorry for somethin' he did to ya. I reckon, if it weren't so dark, I would've fig'red that man was related to ya, Bobby."

Chloe sighed to herself. "Well, this man has our thanks. Is he still here?"

"Unfortunately, the man scurried off. He mentioned something about having to find the general. I wish we knew who he was though." Chops turned to Bobby, ready to ask a question when he noticed that Bobby grew pale. "Bobby? You okay? Hey, you should lie down in your cabin for a while. My main man J.T. and I have everything covered here. You and Chloe have had a long night. He told us what you two were trying to do at the asylum. Pretty honorable if you tell me."

"Rest would be mighty good for you," J.T. added, helping Bobby stand, and the older boy winced when his injured leg straightened. "Sorry 'bout that."

"It's fine," Bobby mumbled, rubbing his shin before rolling himself up. "I'll head off to bed. Uh, if you two need anything, just ask, got it?"

Surprise coated the friends' expressions. For Bobby to offer help meant he either wanted something or it was a trick. However, there was no insincerity or cruelty anywhere on his face. The duo merely nodded, accepting the offer. Besides, even in pain, Bobby was still a formidable, budding psychic.

Bobby limped back to his cabin, but cringed when he felt Chloe heave his arm over her tiny shoulder, taking his weight onto her. "Hey, whaddaya-?"

"To tell ya the truth, earthling, I feel bad for letting you do most of the work. You fought the monster, and you held onto the wall in order to save our lives. You even forgave me for bringing you along that foolish trip and not helping you out." Chloe hobbled up the steps to the cabin, dragging Bobby over to his bed and helped sit him down. "If you need anything-"

"-I'll ask," Bobby replied, lying down.

"Bobby?"

"Yeah?"

"That man. Is he-?"

"-my dad?"

Chloe nodded.

Bobby glanced away, pulling up a blanket he stole from Raz' bunk in the other cabin hours ago. "Yeah."

"Did he…do that to your teeth?"

"Yeah. Look, I-I really don't wanna talk about him. He's done some messed up things to my mouth. I'm probably gonna have these awful teeth for the rest of my life. You wouldn't believe it, but I had some pretty nice teeth when I was a kid."

Chloe nodded. "I can believe that, and I will respect your wish. As there is nothing more we can do, for now, we should sleep."

"Already on it," he chirped, grinning slightly as he curled up into his bed.

Settling down into her bed which was adjacent from him, Chloe gripped her helmet and quietly slid it off her head. Short, blonde trestles fell down as she removed her large, pink bow and placed both onto the floor. With her dark violet eyes, she noticed Bobby looking at her from across the room. She quietly asked if something was wrong, unaccustomed to anyone seeing her without her helmet and bow.

"N-no, n-nothing's wrong. I've just, uh, n-never seen ya without-without the helmet. You-you, uh, look nice is all."

Chloe felt her cheeks run red, and so did Bobby's. They turned away from each other in their beds, facing contorting between shock and dumbfounded wonder on why Bobby said that. Bobby mentally hit himself, calling himself every name that came to mind. For him to say something so sentimental was like him losing his status as the strongman of Whispering Rock to Ma-loser.

"Thank you," Chloe stated softly.

"Huh? What did you-?"

"I said, 'thank you,'" she reiterated slowly as Bobby turned back to her. Smiling over to him, she added, "That has been the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me."

"Really?" Bobby smirked awkwardly, his mouth stretching to accommodate his inner delight. "Well, it's true, ya know."

She giggled, bringing up her own blanket to cover herself with. "Good night, Bobby. Hopefully, we will be alive in the morning."

"Yeah, g'night, Chloe."

As the two drifted off to sleep, hoping that tomorrow would come, discolored eyes leered in through the window. One red, the other green, mismatching, but matching Bobby's eyes. Dr. Loboto examined his son and his little "girlfriend" through the safety of the shadows before letting a curious sneer warp his black lips.

_What an interesting development! My son has a crush on a space cadet! Ah haaa, this is too golden for me. Well, I better be off. I don't want to mess up that kid anymore than I already have._


	14. Nothing To Do

Bobby was bored out of his mind. There was nothing to do this year. Last year brought on a battle with a giant lungfish and arguing with his presumable deceased father and that stupid kid in the goggles named Razputin. He admittedly had a blast last year, even if he had suffered losing his brain at one point, but it was still fun. Whispering Rock actually made itself cool with Oleander going insane at one point, and, yes, Bobby did want to be a Psychonaut, thinking he would have so many opportunities to glorify himself if he became one. Besides, if Raz was able to become one, so should he.

Yet, nothing was going on. There were no giant lungfishes to battle, no more arguments with that deranged dentists, and Raz was probably on some international secret mission with Sasha. Whispering Rock became "dull as ditchwater," as J.T. would say, again. Nothing to do, nothing to learn since Bobby nearly had all of his merit badges excluding shield and clairvoyance since those were his weaker skills. It was same, serene scenery with chirping seagulls and chattering squirrels running around dirt paths and trees. There was just nothing to do.

What made matters worse were the campers. Half of them did not return due to Oleander's insanity. Lili, Benny, Franke, Kitty, Vernon, Elka, Nils, Maloof, and Mikhail were among the missing. Mikhail grew too old for the camp, thank God, and Maloof's father decided to keep him home. In Benny's case, he learned that his mother thought Bobby was a "bad influence" on Benny, so the two rarely heard from each other. Lili was off with her stupid "Prince Charming" on some mission, he bet. The rest he had no idea about, not that he cared.

The remaining cadets paid him no mind. Quentin, Phoebe, J.T., and Chops all hung out together, playing their music. Clem and Crystal decided to leave him be this year since whenever he even looked at them, they averted their eyes. He knew what they were doing. Elton and Milka still made out in Make-Out Cove. Dogen...was Dogen.

There were some new kids. One was a soccer-loving jock with large gap in his mouth that excelled at confusion while another excelled in electrokinesis, controlling electricity, inciting Bobby to stay far away from her. Other existed, but they heard what Bobby had done in prior years, and made it their job to look away.

He only had one thing tying him done in his last year at the camp: Chloe. Her adoptive mother allowed Chloe to come back to try and strengthen her telepathy while her father disapproved of any psychics in their rich family. She was the only reason why Bobby didn't just hot-wire Oleander's car like he would back home for joy rides and leave. They liked to perform experiments when they were not stuck in boring old Oleander's classes from Hell. One time, they accidentally set a fire in Sasha's laboratory after they tried contacting to people of Tamaran. (Bobby knew the planet was from some comic, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her that.) They were scolded frequently by Cruller for sneaking into the "off-limit woods," but Bobby and Chloe always came back to a certain log to just talk. Chloe would sometimes write a few notes down in her journal, and Bobby would just find himself talking about his life, his mother, what he was up to, like he wanted her to know everything. Chloe was really the only cadet that could stand being around him since last year. The others pretended he was not around unless they were forced to work together, in which, Bobby got a few good jabs at their pride in for ignoring him.

Still.

There was nothing happening this year.

So, here he was, lying on his bed, his face the picture of boredom. It was the last night of Whispering Rock, and the last night he would ever be there. He was certain the other cadets would celebrate his departure. Bobby was the camp bully after all, so they didn't care about him. Why should they? He picked on them for years. He bet they were all waiting for this moment.

Not like he cared about them or anything.

Bobby sighed, braces on his discolored teeth exposing themselves. His afro was in a slightly better bob-like shape, and he still had red bags under his eyes. His shirt jersey was ripped in half during a fight with some punk in Drywell, so he was forced to wear a black, colored shirt to keep his stomach from being exposed by his mother who said he would catch a cold if he didn't, but he did wear his old jersey over it. His still donned the same pants, but removed the patch, and it now had rougher edges with the fabric ready to come undone.

Whispering Rock sucked to say the least. He nearly would have passed if he didn't slack off in those last two classes. A cadet needed to earn all of his merit badges by the time they were thirteen in order to graduate and move on to the next level. His motivation was gone, however, lost in the throngs of the adventure that never came. Bobby always hated himself for allowing Raz the SPAZ to take his spotlight away from him last year. The stupid circus freak!

"Bobby."

He jerked his head up, finding Chloe, wearing her same helmet, peering down at him. "What's up?"

"Can you come with me? It's urgent."

Bobby took a quick sweep of the unisex cabin. Clem and Crystal were sleeping across from them, and two newer cadets were asleep adjacent from him. Finding the coast clear, Bobby nodded and got out of bed.

Chloe leaped down, brushing a bug off her arm. Even in the dark, he could make out her attire of the camp shirt and a darker pink, knee-length skirt. He smirked when he noted the stars extending out from her helmet, a touch added by her mother to add to her "feminine appeal" as the kindly woman called it. Tying black sneakers, Chloe gestured out the door.

It was always like that, too. Bobby following Chloe around with a little smile on his face. While the camp brought nothing special to him, she always did. Her ideas and theories fascinated the teenager, who put in his own ideas to help find her solutions. Of course, Bobby knew what she really was, but had not the heart to tell her. Bobby, the counselors, and the older cadets knew Chloe was not an alien, but none had the courage to say anything. Milla politely asked Bobby to do the favor last week, but he bluntly refused and walked away, leaving the woman confused and a bit hurt for blatant rebuttal.

"So, where're we goin'?" he wondered as they stepped into the darkened forest.

"Just a little further," she promised as they made their rounds up a small hill.

Bobby frowned slightly, glancing up at the half-lidded moon in the dark violet night. The stars aligned themselves into constellations he could recognize after Chloe taught him, and he found himself subconsciously locating each one. He accidentally bumped into Chloe when she jolted to a halt, stuttering an apology that she tersely accepted.

They were on one of the highest cliffs of Whispering Rocks, able to see below to the cabins and Main Lodge in the distance. The treetops were a few yards below them as Bobby peered down to lock. He bounced back and forth on his heels, carefully looking out for Cruller as Chloe suddenly sat down.

"Uh, why are we up here, Chloe? Do you have some experiment you wanna run?" Bobby questioned, but Chloe shook her head. "Then what's-?"

"Sit here." She placed her hand next to her.

Bobby felt a light pink touch his cheeks as he made his way over to her. Plopping down, he let his legs flop to the sides as Chloe simply did the same. He glanced over to her, wondering if she was copying him when he found her gaze intently following the sky.

"Is somethin' gonna happen?"

"Something, yes. You see, I discovered something that happens very rarely. Just wait a few minutes, Bobby. I wanted you to see this with me."

That last statement touched him, bringing a tiny grin to his technicolor face. He followed her eyes, looking at the stars as she began to point random ones out that he already knew. For once, he let her talk instead of yammering on about topics he enjoyed like video games and fighting back with his teachers over grades he deserved.

Chloe glanced down a small, light-up watch on her wrist. "Any moment now."

"Hey, c'mon, Chloe, what are we gonna see? Whaddaya wanna show me?"

"Impatient, aren't you?"

"I'm a bit cranky, I guess." He rubbed his eyes when Chloe uttered a sharp cry that was mangled with shock and glee. "What? What is it?"

Chloe's finger shot up to the sky, directing Bobby to a massive, crimson flare streaming across the sky. Bobby's mouth fell open, too dumbfounded to speak as another followed. Then another, and another, until an army swarmed across the stars, disintegrating and flaring throughout the night. Orange and red highlighted against the black, infusing their color with the stillness, creating silent explosions. The two sat there, mystified with the smallest of awed grins. Bobby did not even notice Chloe resting her head against his shoulder, and she had no idea Bobby's hand was suddenly holding her own.

"A meteor shower," Chloe mused as the array surged forth.

"Shooting stars," Bobby gushed, voice elevating in excitement. "I ain't never seen any before in my life."

When the show ended, the two were drawn back to reality. Bobby was the first to realize their position, nearly pulling away when Chloe continued to nestle into his shoulder. His face reddened, clashing horribly with his skin color, and Bobby very hesitantly wrapped his free arm around her waist.

"You called them shooting stars when that was the incorrect terminology." She looked up to him, violet eyes yearning for an answer. "Why?"

"W-well, that's what we call 'em. Shooting stars sounds more...uh, well, um, I dunno, I guess it sounds more romantic."

Chloe repeated the last word with a sense of interest. She sat up, humming as Bobby moved his tense hand to her shoulder and nervously glanced away. Bobby bit down hard on his lower lip, mentally berating himself for sounding so mushy and stupid when Chloe stated that she liked his explanation.

"Huh? Oh, right, you're good at telepathy," he recalled, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. "Uh, thanks for showin' that to me. It was really awesome!"

She smiled lightly, the visor blocking her full amusement. "I'm glad you thought that. I heard that meteor-I mean, shooting star displays were a grand lifetime event. It's exceedingly rare on this planet to watch a spectacle like that." She glanced down at her watch. "It's nearly midnight, Bobby. We should go back."

"We don't gotta," Bobby suddenly protested, taking her wrist when she started to walk away.

She stopped, looking down at him in surprise. "Why not?"

"Well..." Bobby sighed, letting her go as she sat next to him again. "...I dunno. Tomorrow's the last day of camp for me. You might come back next year, but I can't legally. I'm too old for Whispering Rock after tomorrow. They'll move me to some other camp, and I won't see you again." He sighed once more, hanging his head as Chloe stared him, expression unreadable. "I just...didn't wanna, uh, leave. I mean, I hate this camp with a burning freakin' passion since there was nothing exciting to do-"

Chloe suddenly frowned. "I don't mean to interrupt, but assisting me throughout camp was not exciting? I had to admit that I liked your company."

"No, no!" Bobby shrieked, shaking his head furiously. "That's not it at all! I loved spending time with you! You made camp fun! What I was sayin' was that there was no chance for me this year. Raz took all my glory last year, the stupid circus freak, stupid Gogglicious."

"You know that word does not sound like an insult."

"I realized that moments after I said it when Benny said the same thing."

"What did you do to Benny when he told you?"

"Shoved him over the railing and watched him fall onto tree-roots below." He snickered, smirking when Chloe shook her head. "You had to be there to see it. It would've been funny."

"Your sense of humor leaves much to be desired, Bobby."

He smiled. "Your sense of humor leaves much to be desired."

Chloe rolled her eyes as Bobby laughed, clearly amused with himself. "All right, Bobby, tell me. Why do you not think camp was fun this year?"

"Compare boring ol' this year last year, Chloe. Last year was a bang, a freaking shoot-up compared to this year. I saw that S.O.B father of mine, fight a lungfish, and I was the strongman of camp. This year, this year was nothing. I felt like I was going through the motions these past few weeks." He shrugged nonchalantly, avoiding her sympathetic eyes. "When I'm with you, I'm a lot happier."

"To be very honest, you're the only person I can relate to in this camp of mad children." Chloe looked over to the cabins, shaking her head. "Those primates are the ones that truly need their heads examined."

He laughed. "Especially Dogen!"

She smiled. "That can be very true, especially when he claims to be able to speak with squirrels. Did you know squirrels are distantly related to the people of Mobius?"

Bobby hummed, nodding, knowing that planet was from a video game he played as a young boy. "Hey, Chloe?"

"Yes?"

"If ain't too much trouble, can we stay here tonight? I don't want to go back yet. I mean, I don't wanna really say goodbye to you. You're probably the only person I really considered my friend."

Chloe stared at him for a few moments, and he felt so stupid for asking. The period of silence that passed made him itch for a response. He was not looking at her for the few moments of quiet that ensued, so Bobby suddenly jerked his head over and gasped.

Her helmet was off. Short, blonde locks fell to her jaw as her bow sprung to life. Chloe nervously scratched her head, hugging her helmet to her chest and shyly glanced at him.

"I have never taken my helmet off to another earth chimp before except for my parental figures. I hope you do not mind."

"Yer...yer pretty, Chloe." He noted the slightest pink touching her slightly orange cheeks and smiled. "Really pretty."

Chloe let an awkward smile come to her face, thanking him. "So, would you just like to stay here with me and watch the stars?"

Bobby nodded, smiling. As they lied back and watched the stars above, Bobby started to think quietly to himself. Maybe he did not need that chance to glorify himself. He didn't need some big monster to fight or an adventure to go on to make Whispering Rock great. All he really needed was Chloe to make the days better. When he looked down at her to tell her that, Chloe had fallen asleep against his shoulder, helmet discarded by her side. Bobby gaped in silent surprise before grinning and closing his eyes and let himself fall asleep next to the only person he cared about.


	15. Versus Linda

As suggested by Elena Hurley, this chapter is about Bobby, Chloe, and Linda as chapter two's ending left this one quite a cliffhanger.

Psychonauts © Double Fine

Versus Linda

"Bobby, we need to work on you a little," Chloe stated as the delighted boy plodded along behind her.

"Eh, c'mon, Chloe. I'm not that bad, am I?" he inquired, smirking as confidently as possible when she turned to glance at him.

"You have massive, calcium fortifications extending far out from your mouth, and your hair resembled a large tumor."

Bobby cringed, tongue massaging his crooked, misshapen, and yellow teeth. He shoved his hand onto the back of his head as they continued to walk, feeling the mass of unkempt hair that he was so used to. He could hardly think of any other hairstyle suitable for him besides his afro. Yet, it was rather embarrassing for his rather dismal features to be pointed out to him by the girl he liked.

"So, where'd you say you came from again?" Bobby asked, hoping to switch the subject.

"That's classified, but I do believe Cygnus A," Chloe replied. "What about you?"

"Drywell, Missouri." He chuckled, smiling and decided to try a joke. "It's really th' heart of bums and low-lives."

An infuriated glower was his response, making Bobby wince. "Well, it seems you'd be perfectly suited there."

Bobby frowned, beginning to feel agitated from her consistent antagonism. She was not always so surly around him. Chloe was always willing to listen to him without the sarcasm or remarks. What also felt off about Chloe was that she seemed meaner. He hoped that she had not seen his rather cruel behavior around the other cadets. If Chloe did he might have been negatively influencing her young mind.

"Hey, uh, you feelin' okay?" Bobby wondered, gripping her shoulder and turned her around to face him.

Chloe crossed her arms, glancing at the grass. She tapped her foot slightly, sighing gently before shrugging. "I'm…uncertain."

"'Bout what?"

"Who I am, Bobby. You know who you are, and so does everyone else here in this containment facility. However, I don't. I've thought that because this was a camp for psychics such as myself, I would be able to find a way to locate my real world and family. Camp is ending soon, and I still haven't found the answers. Time is running out for me, Bobby." Offering a weak, grimacing smile, she added, "I would also like to apologize for acting so rudely just now. I did not mean to take my anger out on you."

"H-hey, it's not yer fault. You're trying your best. I'm still gonna help ya," Bobby offered, patting her helmet. "Why don't we head up to Oleander's radio and try again? Maybe they'll hear you this time."

"I'd like that. I-!"

"Oh, money!" Bobby suddenly interjected, jerking his head over towards a small bush to find a dollar bill. He hurried over to it, bending over to pick it up when he noticed something odd about it. It seemed like a brown, rather thick wire was attached to the end of it. "What the…?"

"Bobby! Above!" Chloe shrieked.

His head shot up, and his mouth flopped open like one of those fishes gasping for breath that he and Benny tortured on the docks. Emerging from the bushes was a large, monstrous being that he had heard of only in legends. Bobby barely managed to jump backwards when that creature screamed bloody murder at him.

"That's-that's…no way…" Bobby stuttered as Linda, the Hideous Hulking Lungfish of Lake Oblongata, approached them, mouth gaping. "The legend's true after all! That's the sea thing that roams in Lake Oblongata!"

"The Hideous Hulking Lungfish of Lake Oblongata," Chloe mused as they backed up farther towards the trees. "We shouldn't try fighting it, Bobby. While its mass is great, it may still be fast. Can you use your levitation to get us away?"

Linda roared to their shock, lunging forward and swatted Bobby to the side. Chloe gaped at the beast before her as it sent its suction cup to towards her helmet. Bobby gasped, hurrying to his knees before happily realizing that she activated her shield before Linda could touch her. Chloe crouched, keeping the shield steady as Linda began beating at it with her with her fishing rod-like appendage.

"Yo, lungfish!" Bobby shouted, making Linda grunt and turn to him curiously. "Stay away from my girl."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Chloe questioned as Bobby launched a sharp PSI blast that knocked Linda backwards.

Linda quickly regained her footing, leaning into a tree for support before narrowing her gaze at Bobby. Chloe shuffled over to Bobby, summoning her levitation ball and reiterated that they needed to leave.

Brushing off her warning, he decided to show off. If anything, if he defeated that monster, Chloe would definitely be head over heels for him! It was a fool-proof plan! Chloe would undeniably fall for him and would think that he was like her knight in shining armor! Bobby smiled victoriously at the mere thought before gasping suddenly when the creature darted towards them.

Without really thinking, Bobby swiped up Chloe into his arms and darted behind the trees when Linda began sucking in everything. Bushes and tree limbs were suddenly swallowed up into her gullet, and Bobby just barely managed to snatch onto a tree root before losing his footing. Chloe clung to his jersey, and she noticed Bobby still had his arm protectively wrapped around her waist. She grasped the ground along with him, the harsh winds slashing at their bodies and gnarling into their skin like whiplash.

"Hang on," Bobby ordered in a strained voice. "I'm gonna make a break for it."

"Do your best, Bobby," Chloe retorted, gripping onto his jersey.

Bobby released the ground the moment the winds stopped. Leaping onto his white levitation ball, he swerved through the trees before gasping as Linda shot towards him, bashing him into a tree with Chloe pinned to his chest. He moaned disjointedly, feelings his ribs were crushing into his organs, but his main concern was Chloe. Her face had been pressed into his chest, but to make matters worse, she was flailing out of panic, and Linda took notice of this. To Bobby's horror, she heaved her suction appendage down and clamped it firmly over her helmet.

"Let go, you Zorbanian dog!" Chloe roared, kicking her legs to try and smack Linda.

"Do what the lady saves, ya freak of nature, and let 'er go!" Bobby shrieked, shooting his telekinetic grip out and slashed the backside of Linda's legs.

Linda grunted, surprised as she wobbled backwards. However, her eyes was still on the pint-sized, alien prize. Chloe gasped as Linda's mouth flopped open wide as she gazed into the dark abyss that led to an uncertain demise. Her breathing hitched, clinging to the wiry appendage with all of her might as Linda tried to shake her off.

"Chloe! Let go of yer helmet!" Bobby shouted, telekinetic grip wavering around her body.

"Wait! Bobby, who knows what air toxins are lurking here? They could kill me!" Chloe barked in shock.

"What's worse? Dying by the air or by a giant fish?" Bobby snapped. "Trust me, okay? I won't let 'er eat ya!"

She stared hesitantly at Bobby, wide fear in her paralyzed eyes. She was a girl who brought every detail into consideration. Taking off her prized helmet meant breathing in earthling poison. If she did not, it meant digestion in a mutated fish's belly. Chloe shut her eyes, gripping the edge of her helmet as Linda shoved her towards her mouth.

Pop! 

Before she knew it, Bobby's telekinetic hand wrapped around her waist, heaving her over as Linda shoved her appendage into her mouth. Chloe gasped, opening her eyes to find her unlikely savior grinning down at her as he safely placed her onto the ground. It was then that she realized what he was looking at so curiously.

"Huh, I didn't realize you were bald," Bobby admitted, poking her rounded, triangular-like head.

Chloe gingerly rubbed her scalp, white eyes hitching to the grass. "I-I was born like this. There is…nothing wrong with this, is there?"

"Heck no. You make bald cute." He winked, realizing that he had saved her. With the demure blush creeping onto her face, Bobby immediately thought of the fantasy of being her knight in shining armor again and snickered stupidly.

"In front!" Chloe shouted, breaking his daydream. When Linda slashed down at them with her appendage, Chloe quickly brought out her shield, grabbing Bobby and forced him onto his knees behind her. She kept her fingers to her temples, biting down on her lip to make the shield larger to keep Bobby defended. "Bobby, go find help."

"But I can take this thing! I can!" Bobby pleaded, but Chloe heard none of it. Frowning disconcertingly, Bobby growled and launched a PSI blast.

However, since he was still inside her shield, the shot rebounded and slammed Chloe in the face. His gasp was sharp and hitched, nearly choking on the air when Chloe cried out and held her forehead. Her shield dropped rapidly, allowing Linda to slap Bobby aside and slam her suction cup onto Chloe's head. Bobby's skull cracked violently with a tree, bringing out a pained, low-toned groan as he flopped onto his stomach. Red and green eyes swam in his swirling skull. All he could do was look up just in time to hear Chloe shrieking for help before getting swallowed up, mouth slacking open in horror as he realized just what he had done.

His arrogance and desire led to her doom. He let her get eaten. If only he had listened to her, went for help when there was a proper chance, Chloe would still be with him. Bobby punched the ground, cursing his weakness and stupidity before wobbling to his knees. He could barely see as Linda sluggishly made her way towards him, mouth wide and slacking, ready to devour him. Bobby wearily tried another PSI blast, but his aim was far off, leading into the sky like a firecracker. Her suction cup embedded itself onto his jersey as his eyes drooped. The last thing he saw were those sharp rows of teeth, a pitch black hell, and the memory of Chloe screaming, before losing the battle to unconsciousness


	16. Bonnie and Clyde

Time for some gender-bending as suggested by Elena Hurley.

Psychonauts © Double Fine

Bonnie and Clyde

"Uh…Bonnie? Why're you just sitting there?"

"I can't…move…"

Her right-hand girl blinked, quirking an eyebrow at the Missouri native. "Uh, boss? What is that supposed to-? Oh."

Becky Fideleo had come in during a rather awkward scene. She had been searching for Bonnie Zilch for quite a while now, and when she found her on one of the highest hills, she was rather annoyed. However, seeing this and her flustered expression was gold and good fodder and blackmail into forcing Bonnie to listen to her. Smoothing down her long, auburn curls over her shoulders, she smirked at the furious glower Bonnie was sending her.

"Well, it seems even my boss has a soft side," she sneered.

"Shut up, Becky. I ain't dealin' with yer crap right now," Bonnie snarled. She pulled nervously at her jersey, glancing down at the person that resided against her chest. Her cheeks had grown rosy, and her unkempt hair was more frazzled than usual in its flamboyant, bouncy ponytail. She licked at her misshapen teeth, hissing at Becky to go away when a flash caught her discolored eyes. "You didn't."

Fearfully, Becky placed her camera into her plaid skirt pocket. "Oh, but I thought you wanted a picture. Uh, y-you know, since-since you like him and all."

"I don't!" Bonnie blurted, glaring at her henchwoman. She wrapped her arms protectively around the smaller boy's waist as he nuzzled into her shoulder. "I dunno how I feel about the shrimp. Everyone's thinks he's nuts because of his space stuff, but I think he's pretty cool."

Becky gasped. "Bonnie Zilch, are you in love?"

"Piss off, Becky. There ain't a chance that I'm in love with nobody."

Well, I guess that makes sense. I mean, your features aren't exactly the best-Oh God!

Bonnie trapped the younger, panicking girl in her grasp, narrowing her venomous gaze. Heaving her into the air, she carefully aimed her begging companion to be put on the ground and smirked.

"Ya should learn to keep yer thoughts to yerself. This is a camp for psychics, stupid. Anyone can read yer mind," Bonnie warned playfully, smirking as she waved Becky back and forth into the air.

"E-eep! I-it will n-not happen again, Bonnie! P-please, put me-!"

"Shut up," Bonnie interjected, and Becky obeyed. "If you keep your dumb mouth shut, I'll put you someplace cozy."

Nodding weakly, Becky could only wonder where Bonnie meant. She let out a sudden yelp when Bonnie dropped her into a tree flat on her stomach. Moaning softly, she sat up, glanced up to the hill where she could see Bonnie's legs dangling out, and sighed. Sometimes, she just could not understand her mental processes. Leaping down onto her knees, she brushed the dirt off her plaid skirt and walked back to camp.

With the annoyance of her henchwoman gone, Bonnie sighed peacefully and smiled down at the slumbering boy on her chest. Clyde Barge had fallen asleep against her chest after they spent quite some time looking at the sky through his telescope in broad daylight, and a plethora of emotions had crossed Bonnie's face when the initial moment happened. At first, she was silently screaming, then she was giddy since her crush was so close to her, then she was panicking in case anyone saw them, and she finally ended up with serene grin as Clyde snuggled into her collarbone.

Gah, he's so adorable! He's just like a doll. God, I wanna hug and squeeze him, Bonnie gushed, resting her chin on his helmet. Stupid Becky interrupting us. She better not run off and tell…the whole…camp.

Her eyes shot open fearfully, biting down on her fingernails as the awful realization dawned upon her. Under Bonnie's safe wing, Becky was supposed to gather dirt on the other campers, and she usually succeeded in spreading it around camp! If she had the nerve to tell everyone at camp, she was going to have her ears ripped off for sure and find all of her belongings at the bottom of Lake Oblongata!

Calm down, Bonnie, calm down! Becky wouldn't do that. Heck, the girl nearly worships me. She-she can't even consider doin' something like that. Bonnie chuckled nervously, wiping her forehead of sweat with one of her green wristbands. Yeah! The Nose would never rat me out! Heh, and if she does, I'll just deny it. What can happen?

"Whoa, Becky was telling the truth."

Bonnie's eyes went wider than the saucers Clyde dreamed of riding one day. That voice grated her ears like fingernails on a chalkboard. Slowly, she craned her head around to find Razputina Aquato, Razzle for short, staring down at her curiously with Narcissus Zanotto crossing his arms. Razzle adjusted her red-tinted goggles onto her forehead, scratching her helmet curiously as Narcissus sniggered into her gloved palm.

"Didn't expect this of all things. Who knew the 'strong-girl' of camp had a soft side?" Narcissus sneered.

"Go burn somewhere, goth boy," Bonnie grumbled, trying to ignore them.

"Aw, c'mon, Hair Girl! It looks like somebody can finally stand being around you! You should be happy!" Razzle offered, patting her back.

Throwing an elbow back, she smirked when she smacked into Razzle's knee. "Piss off, Razzle Dazzle. Can't you see that Clyde is tryin' to sleep?"

Narcissus flicked his reddish-tinted hair out of his hazel eyes as he rolled them. "Come off it, Bonnie. You act so tough around others, but once you're with Clyde, that persona dies."

Bonnie glared at him, knowing very well that she was at a disadvantage, and he had a point. The disadvantages came from her sitting position with Clyde in her lap sleeping peacefully, and her opponents being both Razzle and Narcissus, two campers that she had to admit were adequately powerful psychics. For Narcissus' point, she hated to admit that whenever she was around Clyde, she was far kinder and sweeter. She loved spending time with Clyde since he bothered to make room in his busy day of searching for aliens and his extraterrestrial home to hang out with her. He acted like he cared about her, something she had not felt in a long time.

"Leave me alone," Bonnie ordered, turning away from them and absentmindedly stroked Clyde's helmet.

"Oh! Well, I might as well tell ya that Becky is spreading that picture around-"

"What?" Bonnie shrieked, shooting to her feet.

Clyde yelped as he hit the ground, and Bonnie's mouth instantly snapped shut. The space cadet rubbed his helmet, aggravated that his slumber was disturbed and glanced over to Bonnie in annoyance. She quickly apologized, a pink tint touching her cheeks.

Brushing dirt off his camp shirt, Clyde nodded. "Apology accepted. Why are they here?"

"I dunno. They just wanted to be buttheads and waltz on over here," Bonnie snorted, crossing her arms.

"So…that picture Becky's showing of you two is pretty much a total flip-flop of your personality," Narcissus stated as Clyde's eyebrow rose on his forehead.

"What do you mean, goth-like earth primate?"

"Dumb Nose took a photo of us just now. You know, um…" She scratched her cheek, averting Clyde's inquiring gaze until Razzle snickered. "Ah! What's so funny, Goggalicious?"

Razzle sighed, breaking off her sniggers and smiled at the bully. "Oh, nothing. It's just adorable how flustered you get around Clyde. I never thought you would have this side, Bonnie."

"Well, there are things about Bonnie that only I know. She tends to hide some of her true personality, which is, in fact, quite considerate and kind," Clyde interjected, blankly stating the fact without a care for scarlet blush rippling across Bonnie's face. Snatching his telescope, he attached to a strap on his back and took Bonnie's hand, guiding her between the couple. "In any case, I believe we'll be on our way. If you see Becky, please direct her towards us so Bonnie may destroy her." Pausing a few feet away, he smirked and faced Razzle and Narcissus once more. "Oh, and when you start making out, watch out for the cougars. I heard their attacks burn brighter when they find some intruders on their turf."

Narcissus glared at the backside of Clyde's helmet as he tugged Bonnie along. "Stupid alien."

Bonnie happily plodded behind Clyde, ecstatic over his words. It was almost as if he liked her in the way she liked him. Besides showing those two their places, Bonnie was utterly head over heels for her space boy. Noticing he had let go of her hand when they arrived back at the cabins, she was about to speak when she located the current worst annoyance of her life.

"Becky," she seethed, causing the younger girl to yelp and whirl around, "whaddaya think yer doin'?"

"B-Bonnie! Uh, I-I was only, you know-!" Without finishing, she bolted away with her tail between her legs and dropped the photograph.

Bonnie snatched it out of her hands, scowling at the backside of her henchwoman until she was out of sigh. Glancing down at the image, she quirked an eyebrow at the blissful smile on her face as Clyde nuzzled against her. The right corner of her lips twitched upwards in a bemused smirk before noticing Clyde had jumped up and ripped the photograph right out of her hands.

"Wha-? C-Clyde!" Bonnie yelped, staring at the young boy in shock.

"Hm, interesting photograph. Becky certainly has skills. Perhaps she will abandon her dreams of directing musical theatre and pursue a career in photography," he mused, observing every detail of the picture before handing it back. "You appear quite delighted, Bonnie."

"Oh! Uh, well, th-that's just, ya know, b-because, uh…the lighting looks…nice on me?" she stammered disjointedly before going off on a laughing tangent. Calming herself down when she realized the Clyde was giving her a perverse, confused look, she shut her mouth and stuffed the photograph into her pocket. "Ah, whatever. Vodello's gonna start his levitation training class in a coupla minutes, and he's forcing me to go even though I already got the merit badge."

"Well, you do look quite nice in the photograph whether the lighting was good or not. Hm, I still need my levitation badge, so I should probably attend class this time," Clyde mused, beginning his way back through the forest towards the docks. "Why is he making you come to class if you already have your badge?"

"Dumb Vodello thinks I'm too 'harsh' on everyone. He thinks that if I can lighten up and 'dance' that everything will be freakin' hunky-dory." She shook her head disgustedly, grimacing at the thought of Miguel Vodello's mind, which looked like a rave gone horribly, horribly wrong. "If he tries to make me wear all of those glowy things, I'm gonna punch more of his stupid dancers."

"Well, perhaps you can teach me how to dance," Clyde suggested, "if it will kill time for us both. I really would not wish to partake in his class again, but I have to. For our sanity's sakes, we should stick together and face that dancing nightmare together. It will be like facing a H'san Natall army, but I believe you and I will be able to pull through for this mere hour."

"Y-ya want me to teach y-you how to d-dance?" When he nodded, her grin spread across her face as she scooped up a flustered Clyde into her arms. "Well, all righty then! Sounds like a plan, shrimp!"

"I really wish you would stop calling me that."

"Nah, you're a shrimp, space boy, but that is what makes ya adorable.


	17. Fifty Sentences III

Fifty more sentences because I haven't done these in a while. The references to Bobby's fear and allergy of bees are from the wonderful oneshot Barefoot by angelblood on dA.

Psychonauts © Double Fine

1. Air

Chloe quirked an eyebrow as the bully "caught air" as the kids would say on his levitation ball, spun around, and halted right in front of her with a bouquet.

2. Apples

"Bobby, what are you doing? You can't eat all those apples," Chloe mused as Bobby bit into his fourth apple.

3. Beginning

When he first saw her concentrating and sending her thoughts out from Oleander's radio, Bobby immediately knew she was different from the rest of the girly girls at camp.

4. Bugs

"Oh…oh…is th-that on my back?" Bobby stammered as Chloe raised the net to capture the bee; evidently, Bobby had a severe bee allergy and garnered a phobia of the creatures.

5. Coffee

"How does Sasha drink this sludge?" Agent Zilch grumbled before dumping the unsweetened drink onto Agent Aquato's head.

6. Dark

Sometimes, Chloe would stay out after hours to search the night sky with her telescope and be pleasantly surprised to find Bobby at her usual spot waiting for her to arrive to help.

7. Despair

"I'm sorry, Agent Zilch, but she didn't make it."

8. Doors

Bobby could only grumble to himself when Chloe pointed out the "Push" sign on the door after he had been pulling on it for a good minute.

9. Drink

Her first sip of soda was her last when she violently spewed it back at Ford's face, causing Bobby to burst into a heap of laughter; both were sentenced to three hours in the GPC pod together.

10. Duty

As a Psychonaut, it was their code to protect the world no matter what cost, but when he saw her in danger, he thought, Forget savin' the president!

11. Earth

"I suppose since my spaceships are clearly inoperable, I guess it would be satisfactory to remain on this planet so long as you are willing to stay with me," Chloe deadpanned as they watched the wreckage of her recently exploded ship plummet into Lake Oblongata.

12. End

"Crap," Bobby muttered as the cougars surrounded them.

13. Fall

Bobby was a little more than surprised when he found himself being caught by her telekinetic grip after tripping off the cliff and being safely brought towards her.

14. Fire

The roaring embers consumed and scorched what was once the seagull Bobby set on fire for Chloe to take a charred feather sample.

15. Flexible

"The reason why Bobby's so flexible is because he's lanky and has no muscle," Benny explained to the space cadet before the bully walloped him over the head.

16. Flying

"Oh, my God, we're in space," a sheet white-faced Bobby muttered, sitting next to the ecstatic seven-year-old as she piloted around the moon for the fourth time before blasting off once more.

17. Food

When Chloe touched the slop with her fork, it hissed at her and promptly ran over.

18. Foot

"You know, you wouldn't be having these problems if you just wore shoes," Chloe scolded, bandaging up Bobby's bloodied foot after he jabbed his toes against a sharp rock.

19. Grave

"Uh, I know you're trying to understand earthlings, but you can't go around diggin' up dead guys," Bobby interjected as he stumbled upon Chloe bending over the grave with her shovel.

20. Green

She could only wonder how his gums turned green.

21. Head

Bobby envisioned several images of what Chloe's real face looked like in his head, but he thought she would trust him eventually to take off her massive helmet and show him the real her.

22. Hollow

All they could do was huddle together in the carved out tree and watch through an opening as the bears attacked the unsuspecting mafia duo.

23. Honor

Bobby was considered the worst cadet to be noted as "honorable" due to his violent, irrepressible nature.

24. Hope

Chloe continued to gaze longingly at the darkening sky, just praying that, someday, her real parents would come.

25. Light

They had not realized they had been searching the stars through Chloe's various telescopes for the whole night until the first glimpse of the crimson sunrise peered over the horizon.

26. Lost

"Jeez, I was searchin' everywhere for ya! What happened? Ya got lost, didn't'cha? I told ya to not wander around by yerself! These words are freaking dangerous! Who knows what coulda happened?" Bobby exasperatedly exclaimed, throwing his arms up after Chloe had stumbled back to their cabin after hours of going missing.

27. Metal

They approximately used over four hundred pounds of psitanium to power Chloe's latest spaceship; on takeoff, it flopped into Lake Oblongata, never to be seen again.

28. New

When his braces finally came off, the fifteen-year-old looked as good as a new, and even Chloe had to secretly admit to herself that Bobby looked rather fine when he flashed off his pearly whites.

29. Old

Thirteen-year-old Chloe discarded her helmet, placing it safely onto her dresser and ran out of her room in her dark pink dress when she heard him beep the horn from outside of her house.

30. Peace

Being around her, Bobby learned to appreciate nature in life as she told him about her findings in their "containment facility" with one being that turtles were really ambassadors from another galaxy.

31. Poison

Both were feverishly concerned when they discovered rat poison in the cheerleaders' bunks.

32. Pretty

"Do you think I am attractive based on what humans look like?" she asked one night, and he slowly looked down at her and smiled.

33. Rain

Bobby growled curses under his breath, holding up his floppy afro when the sudden typhoon rammed into Whispering Rock; the only pleasant part about the experience was Chloe clinging to his jersey as he trudged towards their cabin.

34. Regret

The biggest regret of his life was not telling her how he truly felt when camp ended.

35. Roses

"Uh, a-a little b-birdie t-t-t-told me you l-l-l-liked these," Bobby stuttered, presenting her with freshly stolen roses.

36. Secret

It was their little pact that they would never reveal the identity of Bobby's father.

37. Snakes

"They have venomous glorfaks here, too?" Chloe shrieked, running away from the ten-foot-long cobra with Bobby.

38. Snow

Being her first raging snowstorm, she was a little more than surprised when Bobby showed up at her front door, wearing a jacket and scarf and exclaiming, "Wanna build a snowman with me?"

39. Solid

If he heard Quentin singing about Kitty's "solid," "fine," or "sexy" assets, he was going to hang him by his scarf.

40. Spring

It was always his least favorite season because of the damn bees everywhere.

41. Stable

When she saw Bobby finally calming down after breaking down in the middle of camp because of his nightmares, all Chloe could do was pat his head and quietly apologize; after all, she was not supposed to become attached to humans when she had a home to locate.

42. Strange

"Hm, how odd," Chloe mused, a tiny grin pulling at her face when the plethora of balloons stuck to Bobby's wild afro, "it seems static electricity is how your hair stays floating."

43. Summer

This was always her favorite season because it was when she first met him.

44. Taboo

He broke, gripping at his face and sobbing in his bunk one night when the nightmares prodded and stabbed at him with the memory of his father and "it," and the rest of his bunk could only look on in shock as the Strongman bawled like a child longing for his mother.

45. Ugly

His fist connected with the mirror, shattering his reflection as the words wrapped around his mind: "Bobby, we need to work on you a little."

46. War

Chloe knew earthling violence was the reason why this shambled planet was not invited to the greater galactic community, so why did Bobby have to cause fights with everyone?

47. Water

Under the blurry lake, they can only quirk an eyebrow when they see a smooth-talking turtle greet Chloe with a smooth, jive voice.

48. Welcome

When Chloe joined the Psychonauts, she was pleasantly surprised to find that Bobby had cooked for her a "I Love You Thank You For Being My Partner I Would Be So Bored And Lonely Without You My Space Princess" celebratory dinner.

49. Winter

For their first Christmas together, they pelted down Santa with a laser gun because Chloe was under the impression she was trying to break into innocent children's homes; it was at that moment that Bobby realized she was even more awesome than previously thought.

50. Wood

Bobby landed the finishing blow onto Nils' nose, sending the California native sprawling onto his backside, and he knelt down, gripping his shirt and hissing, "So, if I ever hear that you're tellin' Chloe any perverted crap like what a 'woody' is, I'm gonna do even worse, got it?


	18. The Past I

So, this is a little headcanon fic. This chapter and the next chapter contain my personal headcanon for Bobby's past, which is actually quite tragic and led to what he is today. Also, ages bumped up one year.

Psychonauts © Double Fine

The Past

Part One

"How is he, Sasha?" Milla asked, sitting next to the unconscious boy and gently stroked through his afro.

"He's in a bit of a fix. I'm surprised that this would happen to someone like him," Sasha mused, adjusting his classes as he typed away at his computer.

Milla furrowed her brow, pouting her lips together in annoyance. "Darling, don't say things like that. You and I both know what he's been through."

"Well, he should've listened to me and kept those nightmares locked away."

"He's thirteen, Sasha. Do you really think an innocent boy can hold so many locks in his mind? What his father did to him-"

"Excuse me."

Milla's mouth snapped shut, sending a smile to Chloe as she somberly entered the white, sterile infirmary in Sasha's laboratory. "Chloe, how are you? Thank you for coming to us about this. If you hadn't, well, Bobby would be in big trouble."

"Can you explain to us how this happened? It could help us understand why he suddenly fell comatose," Sasha inquired, turning away from his computer and glanced down at Bobby.

Following Sasha's gaze, Chloe rounded over to Bobby's side and stared at his blank expression. His eyes were opened, but a distinct glaze had covered them. No light shone, making them glassy and unreadable. Usually, Chloe could easily tell what Bobby was thinking just by glancing up at his face. A flustered expression and laugh meant he was nervous because he felt he said something stupid. A twitching left eye and gritted teeth meant someone was about to get punched in the face because they angered him. Seeing him lying indifferently with his eyes open on the teal cot was enough to send an invisible shiver down her spine.

"Chloe, can you tell us what happened instead of staring at him in shock?"

"Ah, sorry." Chloe looked up at Sasha in surprise, blinking a few times to erase her any traces of her stupor. Clearing her throat, she added, "When we woke up this morning, I had noticed Bobby lying in bed. I figured he was still sleeping, so the rest of the cabin including Clem, Crystal, J.T., and Chops, decided to leave him be. We thought he was just oversleeping. After Oleander's morning routine of Advanced Basic Braining, I returned to the cabin when I realized Bobby had not shown up. I found he was still in the same position. I tried to shake his shoulder, but I found that he was not reacting to my touch. I tried again, and this time, I managed to get him to roll onto his back when I discovered him like this. It was then that I found you, Milla, and alerted you to Bobby's unusual condition."

"This was the best thing you could do for him, darling!" Milla praised, patting her helmet affectionately. "We're going to run some tests and try to go into his mind to see why he is like this, but thank you for coming in to check on him. If you want, I'll give you a pass to Oly's class."

"That will be unnecessary. If it is satisfactory with you both, I would like to stay and ensure that he will be all right," the eight-year-old requested, pulling up a chair next to Milla and sat.

"Well, with an intellect like yours, I'm certain I can find something for you to do," Sasha mused. From his coat, he removed his Psycho-Portal and placed it on Bobby's head. "Chloe, here is what I'll need you to do. Milla and I will be entering Bobby's mind. We will be wearing these." Sasha handed Milla what Chloe deemed as a look-a-like of Raz' helmet and placed a similar one onto himself. "This has a special camera that will relay everything we see back onto this computer." He pointed to a laptop on the counter next to various medical items and medicines. "We need you to monitor us. If anything goes wrong, we'll eject our astral projections and look at the footage. This laptop records as we go alone."

She saluted him, nodding. "I understand. I will dutifully watch over you two from out here."

"Thank you, hon," Milla cooed, hugging the tiny girl tightly before frowning at the helmet in her hand. "I honestly wish you could've added some color to this, Sasha. It is so drab."

"Well, at least you're not complaining about the helmet hair yet," Sasha grumbled as Milla fastened the helmet on. Handing the laptop to Chloe, he pressed a button, activating the laptop's recording functions. "Milla, turn yours on."

She nodded, pressing a button near her temple, and Chloe watched in awe as two video recorders the size of a hand-held lantern pop out. Before she can inquire how Sasha created them, she found they had already gone into a fierce concentration, and she watched as their wispy astral projections left their bodies. They hovered momentarily before getting sucked into the Psycho-Portal.

Chloe, however, is a very observing girl. She took notice to the Psycho-Portal, wondering why the door had not shut. She knew for a fact that whenever an astral projection entered the other's mind, the door always closed. Her glance snapped towards the laptop on her lap, finding only darkness as her response. Placing the laptop onto the cot. Chloe leaned towards Bobby, finding his breathing increasing through his mouth.

"Bobby?" she whispered, grabbing his shoulder as his eyes snapped open. "Bobby, are you-?"

All of a sudden, the Psycho-Portal clattered off Bobby's forehead, scattering to the floor. Sasha and Milla suddenly gasped, astral projections returning as they panted, holding their heads. As soon as they left him, Bobby's breathing faltered once more to a mere sighing with his chest moving slightly. The previous energy in his gaze faded back to fog.

"What happened?" Chloe exclaimed as Milla shook her head.

"Bobby has…very strong defenses, it seems. He's like Razputin in a way. Do you remember when we couldn't enter Raz' mind when he came to camp last year?"

She nodded at Milla's inquiry.

"It seems Bobby is similar. While we were able to enter his mind, we could barely scratch the surface. He has so many mental cobwebs up that they are nearly impossible to get around. However, what really did it were those damn nightmares," Sasha grumbled, reaching into his pocket for a cigarette. Lighting it with his pyrokinesis, he takes a quick inhale before sighing, smoke leaving his mouth and hovering around him. "I've never seen such vicious nightmares."

"Nightmares? But none showed up on the laptop. In fact, nothing appeared at all except for darkness," Chloe retorted, making Sasha hum curiously.

"Now, that is concerning. It's odd enough that you couldn't see them or maybe these helmets are malfunctioning."

"They worked when we went on that mission in Calcutta before camp started," Milla pointed out before looking down at Bobby and gently stroked his cheek. "Poor darling, he's hiding something. What we saw in there was awful."

"What did you see?"

She sighed. "It was all black as you said. However, there was a dim light, and Sasha and I made a break towards it. Yet, when we reached that light, we found it was a spotlight. In the middle of it was Bobby with his back turned, but before we could reach him completely, there came the nightmares. They all sounded like him, hissing cruel and volatile insults at him. They were so overpowering, so vicious, and when Bobby noticed after a few seconds, he hurled us out of his mind and set up mental cobwebs to block the entrance."

"The darkness made it impossible to see what his true mind looked like. All we could really make as was some grass, but that's it." Sasha crossed his arms, shaking his head. "He'll need to head to a hospital at headquart-"

"Let me try," Chloe interjected, "without these helmets and without the laptop. I will bring him back."

Milla and Sasha gawk at the bold, little girl. Without asking for their permission any further, she snatched the Psycho-Portal and snapped it onto Bobby's forehead. For a moment, she thought she saw Bobby glance over to her, but when she checked again, his eyes were still blank and staring at the ceiling.

"Chloe, you can't. This is far too dangerous!" Milla warned, grasping her shoulders. "If Sasha and I were cast out so easily think about what can happen to you."

"I don't care." Her flat, bold voice dumbfounded Milla for a brief moment. Stepping onto the chair, she kneels and raises one palm to her chin and her other fingers to her temple. "I'm certain I'll be able to break through his mental barriers. Wish me luck, though, just in case."

Before Milla could intervene again, Chloe's head slowly wobbled in a circle as her astral projection seeped out of her body and into the blackened entrance of Bobby's mind. The Psycho-Portal snapped shut behind her, but she was not spat back out. All Sasha and Milla could do now was wait with the former offering the latter a coffee.

Chloe felt like she was floating as she descended into Bobby's mind. It was not like she was falling, more like she was being carried gently down to the ground. It was still pitch black around her, and when she touched the ground, she felt the cut grass that Milla and Sasha spoke of. Chloe surveyed the surrounding area, finding nothing but darkness at every corner except the presumed patch of grass. Slowly, as if she were walking on a tight wire, Chloe walked forward with her fists balled at her sides, ready to strike at anything.

Unlike what Sasha and Milla said, she found mental cobwebs pop up at random, but Chloe found that she was able to simply move around them. She bumped into a few invisible things, but that was the worst of it. She slowly moved forward for what seemed like a quarter of a mile until she stumbled upon the source of light Sasha and Milla saw. Yet, strange bumps seemed to catch into the light, making the spotlight waver in terms of circularity.

"Why don't you just give up?" "No one wants you around." "They all heard you crying like a baby!" "Just break!" "No one will ever like you!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! Leave me alone!"

She flinched, knowing that voice all too well. Gathering her courage, Chloe burst forward, shouting, "What is the meaning of this?"

Everything stopped. The shrill voices, the insults, the begging all ceased. The spotlight expanded, and Chloe gasped, finding herself face to face with a hoard of nightmares. They seemed to stretch on forever, gathering and surrounding the person trapped in the middle. Stepping forth, Chloe ordered them to move with trembling fists.

"It's her." "Chloe Barge." "He let her in here." "He's letting a little girl do his dirty work. "That's so weak!" "It's pathetic!" "Chloe, tell him what you think of him!" "That you're using him just to further your alien research!"

"Get out of my way," she stated calmly.

The nightmares stopped, their claws and pinchers halting in the air. Chloe glared, continuing to move forward as the nightmares inched towards her. She frowned, ordering them to move once again when one nightmare snatched her neck, heaving her into the air. Gasping, Chloe kicked and struggled as the nightmares encircled her, their tongues flicking out of their moves as they hungrily eyed her.

"Space girl." "Pretty space girl." "Lonely, pretty space girl." "He cares for you." "Likes you." "Loves you." "But you never loved him." "Only for research." "User." "Liar." "Freak."

"I am not using him. Let me go," Chloe hissed, struggling to breathe as the nightmares slowly gripped at her arms, legs, and waist. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Hey, I thought you guys were my nightmares."

Instantly, the nightmares dropped Chloe and returned to their victim with glee. She managed to ran between the scrambling nightmares and found herself staring at the tear-stained face of Bobby Zilch. He was smiling at him in a sort of grimacing fashion, an expression that she had never on him.

"So, Sasha and Milla sent you in here, huh? You know, these nightmares will eat you alive," Bobby warned, voice unusually soft.

"Bobby…what is all this? Why do you have so many-?"

Bobby covered her mouth, overlooking her towards the nightmares that steadily advanced towards him. He trembled slightly, knowing exactly what they were going to prod him with. Without thinking, Bobby snatched her wrist and ran into the darkness. Chloe shrieked suddenly as Bobby heaved her onto his back and blindly ran through the darkness. She glanced over her shoulder, finding the purple flashes of the increasing nightmares with their crimson claws and pinchers trying to snatch at them, but Bobby suddenly stopped and grabbed something. She assumed it was a door as he heaved it open, fled itself, and slammed it shut. He panted, hearing them pound rapidly on the door, their shrill voices ripping through his mind and gripped his forehead, groaning softly as Chloe slid down his back.

"Where are we?" she wondered, trying to break the mood of the insults the nightmares hurtled from outside.

"Actually, lemme ask you something first. Why are you here?" Bobby barked, throwing his arms up.

"You're comatose in the real world. I stumbled upon you in that horrendous state." Chloe crossed her arms, glaring at the frazzled thirteen-year-old. "When Sasha and Milla were removed forcibly from your mind, I offered to see why you were-"

"Oh, great! I'm yer guinea pig again," Bobby scoffed, brushing past her. Snapping his fingers, light suddenly flooded around them, and Chloe found herself in a metal hallway. "Well, you might as well stick around. I'm not wakin' up anytime soon."

"What? Why?"

Her exasperation confused him as he glanced over his shoulder. "Huh? Because of these damn nightmares is why. They won't die. They just telling me their damn truths and their damn insults, and they're right."

"What do you mean they're right?" Chloe blurted as they turned a corner.

He stopped in front of a wooden door, and Chloe noted just how peculiar it looked. It stark contrast to the metal walls and interior, the door would have made more sense in a cottage in the woods. Its carved mahogany was a delightfully warm welcome in comparison to the dull, cold silver. He took a key out from his afro, something that brought an amused grin to Chloe's face, and unlocked the door, holding it out for her.

Stepping inside, Chloe swept around the room, rather shocked. From the door, she had been expecting something like a tea room, but what she received was a wall filled with broken monitors. Cracks formed throughout them, and each screen was turned off. Dusty labels were placed at the tops of each one, scrawled with the name of whatever was supposed to be playing on it in Bobby's penmanship.

"Where is this place?" Chloe asked after Bobby locked the door behind them and placed the key back into his afro.

Bobby sighed, sitting down on a wooden chair and grabbed a remote. He threw it between his hands for a moment as Chloe made herself comfortable next to him. "Hey…you don't really think of me as just a guinea pig, do ya?"

"What? Where is this coming from?"

"The nightmares. All those freaking things do is just tell me the truth." He smiled weakly at her, eyes begging her for an answer. "Th-that is a lie, right? When they tell me you don't like me and see me as just research?"

Chloe opened her mouth to dignify that with a response. However, she let her lips close and touched Bobby's cheek. He stared at her uncertainly, a light blush coming to his face until she suddenly pushed him off the table. Squawking, Bobby toppled to the ground, blinking in confusion before shooting to his feet.

"I cannot believe you're doubting me. Yes, it is true that at first I saw you as nothing more than a subject to use to further my research. However, as time passed in those few weeks we spent together last year…" She shrugged, crossing her arms as Bobby sat down next to her again. "…I realized you were the only person supporting me in my case. You were my first friend, Bobby, my true friend."

"So-so we really are-?"

"Yes. Friends." She smiled. "If we weren't friends, I wouldn't allow you to barge into my house whenever you felt like during my school year. I enjoy your company since you are the only one who understood and respects my plight."

He quivered, letting it sink in as Chloe giggled and beamed so innocently that he felt tears already coming to his eyes. After camp had ended, Chloe had given him her address and allowed him to come over whenever he wanted. Venturing to Chloe's mansion abode became a habit as Bobby popped up whenever he wanted even if it was late at night since Chloe hardly slept when she was searching space. He thought he was being an annoyance nuisance, poking his head in whenever he wanted to, but she didn't think that at all. Glancing up at the monitors, Bobby chuckled, wiping his eyes and shaking his head.

"The nightmares, I can guess the can lie. I'm not yer guinea pig," he replied, smirking before returning back to his previously somber disposition. "I know why I fell comatose, Chloe."

"And why is that?"

"We're psychics. We're more in tune with our minds, and that can make us more vulnerable. As much as I hate to use that word, it suits me."

Chloe's eyebrows rose onto her pale orange forehead. That particular word and Bobby never mixed. It was almost odd to hear Bobby confessing anything about himself as he had usually been so tight-lipped about his personal problems before. With the nightmares she had seen, Chloe pondered if they were the source of his troubles.

"Unlike Milla, I don't have any barriers for my nightmares. They're free to roam around and do whatever th' hell they want. I can't stop them. I don't know how. They just find me and scream and scream…" His arm muscles flexed, eyes widening as he nervously shot a glance over to the door. "…and scream about 'it!' All they do is remind me of 'it!' Everything that relates to 'it' and the results! They just won't die!"

"Bobby, calm down!" Chloe shouted, grabbing his shoulders when he clutched at his head and uttered a few, pained grunts. "The nightmares aren't here! They are not in this room!"

"But they're outside! Once we leave, they'll be out there ready to lunge at us. Chloe, you should go, and I'm not saying this as a friend. I'm sayin' this as the truth."

"I have Smelling Salts stored in my pockets. I will leave when I deem it necessary. Please don't underestimate my ingenuity. Anyway…" She gestured to the broken monitors and the remote he discarded between them. "…what is this place?"

"A video room. This place holds my memories. Instead of using those corny memory vaults like the coach, Sasha, Milla, heh, or even anyone, I decided to be a bit more productive. Whoever finds this room gets to know everything about me. It's like a little game I set up in case I ever get visitors."

"But no one would be able to find it because of all of that darkness. The only source of lighting was the spotlight that followed you around."

"The nightmares set that up so they could always find me. They're probably outside of the warehouse waiting for me. The spotlight will come on whenever I enter my mind or find myself dreamin'. Let's just say that it ain't a pleasant experience."

"Was your mind always like this? So dark and filled with all of those nightmares?"

Bobby shook his head, sighing. "My mental world was…well, you could call it a lot different than what ya'd expect. I want you to see it, but with these fucking nightmares-!" Bobby cut himself off, realizing his fist was clenched in abrupt rage and that he swore. "-I mean, s-sorry, I mean with those freaking nightmares in my head, it's near to impossible."

"Ask Milla to help build a nightmare room like what she has. That can certainly put an end to them."

"It could, but it won't hold. These nightmares are built from my bullying persona."

"Wait…'persona?'"

He smiled gently at her. "I wasn't always like this. Maybe it's time you saw the real Bobby Zilch."


	19. The Past II

_Italics _will be used when Bobby's memories are being played out. I lied, by the way. There will be a part three.

Psychonauts © Double Fine

The Past

Part Two

Bobby fiddled with the remote, biting down on his lower lip. Why was he even doing this? With Chloe seated next to him in his memory room of all places, he felt trapped. She said she would leave when she deemed it acceptable, and he knew just how stubborn she was when it came to decisions that were already made. Sending a glance her way, Bobby sighed and caved.

"I guess we'll start," Bobby muttered, raising the remote and pressed a bright red button at the very top of the device.

Chloe watched as one monitor, cracked and garble, rose to life. It whirred and whined, hints of static flooding forth before an image came to the screen. She gasped slightly, finding a younger Bobby with perfect teeth looking up to someone. He did not have those dark scarlet bags under his eyes, and he appeared to brighten up even the cracks in the screen. Standing over him was a figure that previously menaced them both, and Chloe sucked in a sharp gasp, tensing as the looming figure reached back and ruffled Bobby's afro.

"_God, I didn't even discover my powers until I was well into my teens! Why, I'd say we have a genius on our hands!" Dr. Caligosto Loboto cooed, driving a sleek, white car through the woods. "He can already levitate and use telekinesis! I couldn't use them until I was well into my twenties when I first met you, dear!"_

_The seven-year-old laughed, praise feeding into his budding ego. He was the only boy in Drywell, Missouri with psychic powers. Bobby was currently bouncing in the backseat, holding up his father's blueprint of a super-sneezing powder to blast out plaque with his telekinetic hand._

"_Yeah, great," the pink-skinned woman with a lopsided, orange ponytail grumbled, shooting her white-cloaked husband an annoyed glance. "Another psychic."_

"_Oh, c'mon, Mom! My powers are awesome! I even set the neighbor's annoying dog on fire for waking me up last night," Bobby whined, smiling cheerfully despite the budding horror rising on his mother's face._

"_He's just getting started, Hannah. Don't chastise him for it. Besides, your sister is psychic and a Psychonaut," Loboto reasoned, pulling up next to a large, metal fence and looked up with a grin towards the sign when he put his vehicle in park. "Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp! To think, you'll be the first of the alumni, son. Since it opened this year, you're quite lucky that you'll have proper-he already ran out of the car."_

_Bobby had already bolted out, eagerly gazing inside to the fresh, emerald trees. He glanced around, finding dirt paths guiding around to several different paths until he found the gate opening. Bouncing on his heels, he hopped inside as his father pulled out his backpack, containing clothing and his hand-held video game, and tossed it to his son. Bobby caught it and noticed a short, burly man walking towards him._

"_Who're you?" the seven-year-old inquired as Coach Oleander grinned down at him._

"_Oleander!" Loboto gushed, throwing his arms out with the baggy sleeves falling down by his elbows "It's been too long!"_

"_Yeah, too long since ya quit the 'Nauts to have a peaceful life, Caligosto," Oleander remarked, shaking his former comrade's hand. "Oh, it's nice to see you, too, Hannah."_

"_Hey, Oly. Didn't think you'd be the one running this camp," Hannah replied, smiling at the pint-sized drill sergeant._

_Frowning, Oleander grumbled, "It was in the pamphlet I wrote. Anyway…" His head shot over to Bobby, who perfectly matched his height. "…is this Bobby?"_

"_Yes, he is. Robert, greet the coach, would you?" Loboto requested, nudging Bobby over._

_Offering a quirky grin, Bobby said, "Hi, I'm Bob-"_

"_Stand up straight, soldier!" Oleander barked, and Bobby yelped, quickly obeying. "Ah, that's more like it! Quick to follow orders without a single word of disapproval. Now, you may greet me."_

"_Uh, got'cha. I'm Bobby Loboto, seven-years-old, and I'm good at telekinesis and levitation, and I can burn a coupla things." Bobby saluted him for added effect._

"_Good lad!" Oleander ruffled his fluffy afro, smirking. "I'll have fun training you to become the greatest Psychonaut of your time along with your peers. Come along then, all of you, we'll get you settled in."_

Bobby paused the screen, letting the image of Oleander resting his hand on a beaming Bobby's shoulder freeze. "I went to Whispering Rock the moment it happened six years ago. Dad was a former Psychonaut that was paired with my aunt, but he left the Psychonauts to pursue his real dream of being a dentist, and he hooked up with my mom. Mom was very wary of psychics, always saying they had a habit of gettin' into trouble, but she married my dad, and I was born Bobby Loboto. I discovered my powers when I was seven, and Dad was so excited that he contacted the coach to let him know I was like them, ya know, bein' psychic and all. The coach told Dad about Whispering Rock, and Mom and Dad shipped me off there."

"You had your father's last name," Chloe interjected as he shrugged.

"Well, duh. That was before…we'll get to that." Bobby hurriedly shook his head, biting down on his trembling teeth. "Anyway, I was a model cadet. I breezed through Basic Braining, got my levitation, telekinesis, and pyrokinesis merit badges. Milla dotted on me. Sasha respected me. The coach even praised me. The cadets looked up to me, even the older ones. It was-it was a good time. That continued for three years. So, we'll skip up to when I'm nine."

Bobby pressed another button on the remote, shutting off the screen and activating another. Chloe winced at the whirring, hissing static that came with each screen dying and reviving. He apologized for that, stating he had not visited the video room for a while, and with the nightmares clawing at his memories, he added that the good memories were perishing. Before Chloe could ask anything else, the screen booted up.

"_C'mon, Clem! This isn't illegal! It's a psitanium-powered car! There are no illegal nar-narco-narka-drugs in this!" Bobby proclaimed, pumping his fist into the air. The nine-year-old was still vibrant and happy, dressed in simple pants and the camp T-shirt along with a pair of sandals._

_The seven-year-old nervously sat behind the snickering youth. Clem Foote was much different than what he would be in a few years. He was shy and withdrawn from the other cadets with this year being his first at camp. Bobby had noticed this, running over to him on his levitation ball, smirked at him, and announced they were best friends out of the blue. Clem, frequently donning the camp shirt and knee-length blue shorts, was utterly baffled by the intrusive boy, but Bobby dragged him on several misadventures such as setting Oleander's moustache on fire with Clem's poorly controlled pyrokinesis and blaming it on Kitty Bubai. For Clem, he was happy that he had a friend._

"_Well, if you say so, Bobby. Hey, where's Dart?"_

"_Right here!" The eight-year-old, teal-skinned boy popped up next to them, making them both shriek in surprise. He blinked, adjusting his adjusting his jungle green and lime-yellow hat better on his bald head. "What?"_

"_Don't do that, man! You keep scarin' us!" Bobby shouted as Dart observed the car._

"_What is this thing? Is this what you and Clem were working on this morning?"_

_Clem nodded, smiling. "Yup! We harvested a lot of psitanium that we probably should've bought that cobweb duster with-" He rolled his eyes when Bobby stuck his tongue out in response. "-but this kinda seemed like more fun."_

"_Ehh? A few seconds again you were saying that this was illegal in three states!" Bobby sneered, leaning close to Clem. "Looks like you think this is fun after all!"_

_Clem blushed, glancing away. He had always been the goodie-goodie of the group, trying to bail Bobby and Dart out of trouble. While he fully embraced Bobby's playful and wild attitude, he was still a bit wary of his slyness. Pushing Bobby's face away, he smiled. "Well…I guess this is a bit fun."_

_Dart adjusted the buttons of his light blue coat with green, vine-like wisps at the tips. "I've a strange feeling that this won't work."_

"_Aw! You always say that!" Bobby pouted, crossing his arms. "Fine! Me an' Clem will go, and you can watch! Oh, and, uh, if we crash-"_

_He smirked. "-then I'll teleport you guys out."_

"_Yay! Let's go!" Clem gushed, holding onto Bobby's stomach for support._

_Bobby quickly glanced at his derby cart, which was crafted together by pure psitanium and held together with a concoction of glue, tape, spit, and telekinesis. The car itself was shaped like a rectangle with crooked tires at the sides and a steering wheel in front of Bobby. They sat in the holed out center, which was a little cramped, but Bobby had no problem with Clem holding onto him. After all, they forgot to put in seatbelts. Being stationed on a dirt path on a hill by the Main Lodge, they were on a collision course to the parking lot. A simple push was all they needed, so Bobby removed the rocks at the edges of the tires._

_Immediately, the car lurched forward, speeding towards the parking lot. Clem screamed, feeling his stomach flop into his liver and covered his eyes with one arm, other arm wrapped around Bobby's chest. Bobby shrieked, ripping the wheel back and forth and veered the car into several rocks, nearly flipping them over. Instead, the car jutted down into a zig-zag-like pattern, wind blasting at their faces as Bobby opened his eyes to find themselves on a collision course to Oleander's car._

"_Oh, n-!"_

_Before he could stop, they crashed square into the tire. The psitanium car blasted apart around them, sending Bobby's head smacking square into the metal of Oleander's jeep. Having been behind Bobby the whole time, Clem suffered no injuries except for wooziness and gasped when he saw Bobby cradling his forehead._

"_B-Bobby! Oh, my God, are you okay?" he cried as Dart teleported next to them._

"_Y-yeah, I'm good. Ow!" Bobby moaned, holding his bruised forehead. "This'll leave a big mark. That was fun!"_

_Clem stared at him with wide eyes as Bobby started laughing freely. Dart chuckled into his sleeve, eyes closed as he reveled in his friend's amusement. Clem smiled, hugging Bobby from behind and laughed with them. It really was fun, but only fun until Oleander came running down towards them and screamed that they all had to spend three hours in the GPCs._

Bobby halted the screen again, content serenity crossing his expression. Sliding off the table, he walked towards the screen and stared at it with a grin. He truly missed those times when he had nothing to worry about. Camp was always a blast. He had made some good friends and learned how to fully utilize his psychic powers. At the time, Bobby had everything he could have possibly wanted.

"This was before 'it' happened. This was probably one of the happiest memories I had at the time. Camp always gave me happy memories. It helped me forget," Bobby explained, turning away from the screen and sat back down in the chair, allowing Chloe to lie down on her stomach and place her head in her hands.

"You seemed to have a good relationship with Clem. What happened?"

His smile vanished, shooting her a morbid glance. "I'll get to it. Here's where the fun part starts."

Like before, Bobby shut off the monitor and turned on another cracked one. The same whirring and static vibrated through the room before showing the same nine-year-old Bobby leaving camp, sitting quietly behind his mother and father in the same car his father previously drove in.

_Bobby's expression was a far cry than what he had previously held. Instead of the humored, delighted expression, his lips were pursed in concentration, and his eyes were giving their full attention to his hand-held game. He mashed the buttons, trying to blot out the shrieks that hovered in the front of the car. Being a child, Bobby could only try to ignore their screams. It had been going on for a while, ever since the camp gate was in the distance._

_When Bobby was gone for camp, Loboto finally invented his super-sneezing powder to remove plaque. It was an invention that was supposed to be brilliant and reveled by the dentistry community. However, when he had gone to show off his brilliance, the powder backfired, and Loboto sneezed out his eyeballs and his brain. The Psychonauts were called in, giving Loboto a new set of mechanical eyes and his brain back in his skull. Apparently, they had "taunted" him, stating that he had clearly gone mad and needed psychological evaluation. Loboto fervently refused, leaving the headquarters and was soon made into a mockery of the dentistry community when they refused his idea._

"_I can't believe you! Sneezing your eyes out! With that goddamned sneezing powder! I knew this was a stupid idea!" Hannah shouted, glaring at her husband. "They even denied your invention because they knew it was a bad idea! Kids could've been hurt, Caligosto!"_

"_Hannah, please! I got my eyes fixed!"_

"_Yeah, with those robotic lights! Do you know how much I hate having to explain this to the rest of the neighborhood? 'Oh, my husband just sneezed his eyeballs out!'"_

_The dentist gripped the steering wheel, gritting his sharp teeth so tightly together that they would have cracked it if he did not hear that beeping sound. Glancing up at the rearview mirror, he found Bobby adjusting the volume on his hand-held and flicked his eyes up to his father._

"_Uh, do ya want me to turn the volume off?"_

"_Shut that game up, Robert. You can play it, but I don't want to hear another sound, all right?"_

_Bobby nodded and resumed playing. "'Kay, Dad."_

"_To make matters worse, you were fired from the clinic! No one is going to hire you again! Did you even think this through?" Hannah remarked, crossing her arms. "How are we supposed to pay the bills, Caligosto?"_

"_Goddamnit, Hannah, just let me drive," Loboto seethed, "and stop having us fight in front of Robert."_

"_Robert deserves to see this! Did you see how shocked he was when he saw you come towards him with those things in your eyes?"_

_"Mom, it's okay," Bobby interjected, now concerned since he was dragged into the fight._

"_No, it's not okay." She pinched her brow, sighing disgustedly. "You and your sneezing powder. I can hardly stand to think about it! All of these years, I worked hard in medical school to just get a job at the local clinic, and this is what I get! An idiotic husband who can't-!"_

_Loboto slammed on the brakes, shifting the wheel to the right side and heaved the car off the road. Bobby jolted, dropping his game on the leather seat next to him and gripped his safety belt tightly. Hannah screamed, demanding to know what he was thinking when Loboto slammed the car into park, and the argument began anew. All Bobby could do was sit in the back of the car, forlorn and frightened as their voices reached octaves he never knew possible._

"_I never should've married you. I should've listened to my mother. You and my sister are freaks after all! You made Robert a freak!"_

"_Your sister is a lovely girl! Her brain was so…so…" Loboto smiled crookedly, and Bobby flinched at the malice seeping off his father. "…delightfully wicked."_

"_The hell is that supposed to mean? I bet you fancied her!"_

"_Well, you two are twins! I'd dare say that she had better looks than-"_

_Hannah's hand was faster than a lightning strike. It connected with Loboto's face quicker than anyone could blink. Bobby tensed, eyes widening as he watched his father's neck crack violently as his head shot over to him. He shrank in his seat, not wanting to speak as Loboto slowly pulled himself together as Hannah's face grew darker in horror. Rubbing his cheek, Loboto quietly put the car back into drive as Hannah whispered how sorry she was. All Bobby could do was sit in the back and stare at his feet the rest of the silent ride home._

_When they returned home, Loboto packed his things, and he left the house._

"This is where my life started going downhill," Bobby interposed, lowering his head.

"_Why is Dad leaving? How come you two can just make up?" Bobby shrieked, watching his father somberly place his belongings in the trunk of his car._

"_Oh, Robert, you're too young to understand." Hannah knelt down by himself, smiling as Bobby's eyes welled up with tears._

_Bobby shoved her hands off his shoulders, shouting, "I am not! You-you yelled at him! Dad's leavin' 'cause you yelled at him! You're just mean, Mom! All you do is go on and on about people bein' psychics! It ain't fair! It's not fair! You're jealous because me an' Dad an' Aunt Grace got awesome powers!"_

"_Robert, that isn't it at all! Your father is losing his mind. He made the sneezing powder, and he-"_

"_-sneezed his eyes out! Don't remind me again! That's all you said in the car!" Bobby stomped his foot, grunting viciously and glared up at his mother. "I don't wanna stay with you! I wanna live with Dad!"_

"_You can't live with him! He's crazy!"_

"_No! No! No! He's not crazy! You're just jealous! You've always been jealous, Mom! I hate you!'_

_Hannah gasped, backing up a few steps as Bobby suddenly ran past her. All she could do was watch in horror as she saw Bobby through the window sobbing violently and hugging his father._

"_I don't wanna live with Mom! Mom's not nice! I wanna go with you, Dad! Take me with you!"_

"_Oh, son," Loboto murmured, stroking through his hair. "You've gotta stay with your mom. She needs you, my dear boy."_

"_But-but she hates psychics! She hates me!"_

"_She doesn't hate you, Robert. I messed up. If she blames you, don't let her because this is not your fault." Loboto held Bobby tightly to his chest, letting him weep openly. He sucked down a breath, pressing a kiss to Bobby's forehead. "I love you, Robert."_

"_I love you, too, Dad," Bobby wailed as Loboto let go. Stepping back, Bobby watched his father enter his car and pull out of the driveway. All he could do was wave at his backside before dropping to his knees and crying even harder when Loboto was out of sight._

_A few days later, Hannah approached her despondent son. Ever since Loboto left, he had stopped. Bobby only slept, ate, and walked aimlessly. He did not go see his friends, did not play his video games, and did not even speak. Hannah tried everything to get Bobby to open up, but he was like a hard clam holding in its pearl. _

_At breakfast one week after Loboto left, Hannah watched Bobby eat an apple without much vigor. She noticed light red rings forming underneath his eyes and sighed. "Have you been sleeping well?"_

"_I sleep," Bobby dryly retorted._

"_Do you get bad dreams or-?"_

"_No." He shrugged. "I just have some trouble going to sleep."_

"_I'm sorry, Robert."_

_He paused, and he merely shrugged again. "It's not okay. I don't like you for what you did to Dad."_

_Her nostrils flared, shooting up from her chair and slammed her hands on the table. "Do you worship your father? Is that it?"_

"_No. I just love him more than I love you."_

_She pinched her brow, sitting back down. Bobby glanced up when he finished his apple, throwing the core away with telekinesis. Hannah was filtering through her purse before handing Bobby a few documents. He cocked an eyebrow, asking what they were._

"_A paper for your legal name change. You're now Bobby Zilch."_

_He gasped, dropping the papers when he saw the name. "Y-you can't change my name! You didn't even tell me!"_

"_Robert, I don't want you associated with that lunatic. He's insane. So, please, listen…" She leaned forward, holding Bobby's hands in her own. "…your mother wants to divorce your father and gain full custody over you."_

Bobby shut off the monitor, eyes shut. He hated that memory, despising himself for what he believed in at the time. He thought of his father as a superhero, an infallible being who would never let him down. His mother was never fond of his psychokinetic prowess as she was the only one of her side of the family to never garner any sort of mental ability. Bobby placed his head in his hands, not saying a word as he squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to go further.

Chloe's once pursed lips opened, gazing at him in a fit of shock. "Bobby, I'm so sorry. I-I had no idea. I always thought, well, both parents of a psychic child would support him or her. In my position, I would have sided with your once seemingly kind father-"

"I didn't take Mom's warning seriously, and I shouted all of that spiteful crap at her!" Bobby blurted, leaping to his feet. He stormed over to a wall, crashing his fist into it and seethed. He breathed heavily through his mouth, ramming his knuckles into the metal again and again. "If only I had paid attention! If only I saw the signs that she did! I didn't know things would get so bad!"

"Bobby! Stop!" Chloe leaped off the table, wrapping her arms around his waist in a futile attempt to stop his violent rampage. "It is okay!"

"No! No, it's not, and I said all of those things to Mom." He fell to his knees, fist dragging along the wall before it slid open into his palm. "I just wish I could go back to those happier days with Clem and Dart…but I ruined that, too."

"Bobby…if this is painful for you-"

"No. We're halfway done." Bobby gazed over to her, smiling lightly. "You let me into your life, your home and all that over stuff. Your mom and dad let me know a little about ya as well, so it's my turn to tell you about me. I'll warn you, though, this next part will be…gruesome."


	20. The Past III

I lied again. This is the second to last chapter, but the final chapter about Bobby's past This chapter is definitely gruesome in a sense of what happens to Bobby in it with physical and mental torture. Trigger warning: child abuse (psychological and physical). Also, there is chair-beating.

Psychonauts © Double Fine

The Past

Part Three

It took a few more minutes to get him to calm down. Bobby's knuckles were worn and purple after he smacked the metal wall a few more times. Chloe was relieved that his fingers were not broken. She offered to find some bandages, but Bobby declined, stating she would probably get lost in the warehouse.

"What is this place? This warehouse?" she inquired, hoping to change the subject before Bobby went back to smashing his fist against the wall.

"You know how people put things in storages? Well, this is where I keep my memories. I go here when I just want some quiet in my mind. Only I can find it, but since I was followed by the nightmares…" Bobby glanced over his shoulder at the door, hesitation freely expressing itself. "…I can just hope they don't find a way in here."

Lowering her head shamefully, Chloe realized it was partially her felt. While Bobby technically led the nightmares to the warehouse, if she had not been so brazen before them, she probably would have not needed Bobby's protection. Before she could apologize, she noticed Bobby's hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to see him smiling and pulling at the front of his jersey.

"H-hey, d-don't sweat it, okay? Uh, it's not yer fault, ya know. I mean, um, those things are only after me and stuff. They just saw ya and went nuts. It's not your fault, Chloe."

"Despite the trouble I have caused, it's still kind of you to say that." Chloe grinned at his awkwardness, stating he did not have to be so nervous.

Quickly removing his hand from his jersey, Bobby blushed slightly. "Uh, y-yeah, I'll try to, uh, not be so weird." Removing his hand, he was about to turn on the next monitor when he realized what was coming next. Gulping, Bobby lowered the remote into his lap, hanging his head with wide eyes and simply breathed.

"Bobby?"

"This…is 'it.'"

She tensed, recalling just how fervently he screamed and wailed over whatever "it" was. "It" had seemingly traumatized Bobby and helped churn him into the boy he was today. Chloe bit down on her lip, asking if he would be all right.

"Just…here's what went down after Mom announced the divorce. I went along with it, seeing I had no chance. I accepted my new last name, and I went back to school as Bobby Zilch. The divorce seemed to fly by quick. It was over in two months since the court deemed Dad 'unstable' to raise a child. Mom got full custody over me, and she went back to being Hannah Zilch. Mom got a job at a nursing clinic, and I went to school. I was still the same as I was, a happy, carefree kid. Got good grades. Had some friends. Sometimes, Mom spent all day at the clinic, but it was because she had to work hard. I understood that. Sometimes, parents have to abandon time with their kid to help their kid in the long run. Soon after, I forgot all about Dad." He cracked his knuckles, glaring at the screen. "Then summer came. School ended. I was ten. Mom was supposed to pick me up. We were gonna celebrate together with ice cream that I had the highest math grades out of my whole class. That's when 'it' started."

Slowly, Bobby raised the remote and pressed a button. The previous screen died, but what Chloe noted shocked her. In the middle of all of the broken monitors was a screen that overshadowed the rest. This one was a clear, flat-screen monitor without a single crack. It looked like it belonged in a retailer with its sleek design and crisp audio, and there stood ten-year-old Bobby on the sidewalk waiting for his mother.

_Bobby placed his hand on his hip, frowning tersely. He checked his watch, finding it to be nearly a half hour since school officially ended. His mother was running late. Maybe she had an emergency at the clinic? Hannah had been spending extra time at the clinic, but it was because she had to help other sick or injured people. While he certainly understood it, the ten-year-old was rather annoyed that she did not tell him sooner._

_Sighing, Bobby adjusted the straps of his black backpack and decided to walk home. Perhaps they would go out later if she was not too tired. He saw a few of his friends getting into their parents' cars, and one offered him a ride that he should have taken. Bobby smiled, declining and stating that the walk home was not too far. His friend shrugged, climbing into the car and left._

_As he walked home, Bobby noticed something strange about his teeth when his tongue absentmindedly brushed over his front teeth. Stopping, he found a car parked a few feet away and trotted towards it, inspecting his teeth. His front teeth seemed to cross over each other just slightly, and there was already a gap between his top right incisor and one of his front teeth that he knew about. Frowning, Bobby decided to ignore it and moved along when the driver's car door opened._

_He had been using a rusty, eggshell white car's mirror. Bobby turned his head, ready to apologize when a cloth covered his mouth. Yelping, Bobby took in an involuntary breath and smelled something Oleander had once spoken about. He thought it was chloroform? Maybe that was how he said it, but Bobby had already whiffed it in when his mind scrambled. Stumbling, Bobby fell into the car's passenger door when all went black._

"You were kidnapped!" Chloe exclaimed as Bobby nodded. "But who is your attacker? Why were we not able to-?"

"I didn't see his face at the time. Memories only show what you remember. I never saw who he was at the time, so I don't have that memory," Bobby explained as the screen faded the black momentarily before rebooting to a new scene. "Just wait. That was the prologue to 'it.' 'It' happens right now."

_Bobby moaned softly, eyes weakly opening. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and glanced around, gasping sharply at the new residence. Lurching to his feet, Bobby thought he was in a madhouse. In front of him was a room found only in horror films. It was a circular room with curved-in walls and various, cylindrical devices. A chalkboard filled with messy scrawls stood against the wall with twin tables holding several implements of terror such as scalpels, drills, and what appeared to be bottles of chloroform and alcohol. He could see outside from the strange design of the bars, finding himself looking out to a darkened forest down below an eerie, quiet lake at night._

_What is this place? Bobby wondered, trying to stand up, but was jerked back. Glancing down at his wrists, he found he was pinned down by metal locks connecting him to the chair. He tried his ankles and legs, finding the same result. What shocked him most of all was the strange helmet on his head that fanned out his afro. Oh, no. No. No. No._

"_Comfortable?"_

_Slowly, Bobby glanced to his left, paling considerably at the deranged sight of Dr. Caligosto Loboto beaming wickedly down to him. His teeth had gone jagged, and his lips completely ebony. He wore an outfit that looked better on a drag queen with that white and brown smock and that floral cap. However, what shocked him the most was the gleaming, metal claw that replaced his right arm._

"_D-Dad?" Bobby stuttered as Loboto rounded in front of him. "Wh-what's goin' on? Where am I?"_

"_Oh, you remember me! I'm so happy I could sing! But I won't. I have such an off-key voice!" He laughed, throwing his head back as Bobby stared at him like he sprouted a second head. "What?"_

"_Did you…? I-I mean…did you…?"_

"_Knock you out with chloroform? Well, yes! Who else do you think did it?"_

_Bobby shuddered, mouth gaping like someone had unexpectedly struck him. He wriggled in his bonds, forgetting his was psychic momentarily as Loboto strolled over to one of the tables. Digging around in a few of the drawers, Loboto smiled when he removed a small, reflective glass that was not sterilized in any means. He hooked it onto a scalpel, breaking the tip of the glass to have it fit better and slithered back to his terrified son._

"_D-Dad, what are you doing? St-stop it, Dad," Bobby weakly requested, offering a quirky, pained smile. "I-if this is a joke, it a-ain't funny."_

"_Ain't 'ain't' a word, son," Loboto chortled, ruffling his head before pausing to look at his teeth. Sticking out like a sore thumb was that unholy gap. It was the perfect size for his tongue to simply lick through. To make matters worse, his front teeth were crooked! Trembling at the poor state of his son's teeth, he snatched his throat, forcing the glass into his mouth and continued to observe, muttering to himself. "One molar missing, another growing in. Some teeth are still growing."_

_As Loboto mused to himself, Bobby stared blankly dead ahead. His father had shoved a piece of glass in his mouth to observe his teeth? He had to be in a nightmare. His father was long gone, way out of the picture. Jerking back, he gasped slightly when the glass slit open part of his lower lip. In shock, he drew his tongue across the moist liquid as Loboto scowled furiously, stating he needed to remain still._

"_What are you doing to me?" Bobby shouted as blood trickled down his chin. While Loboto placed a cloth bib to prevent any spit or blood to trail onto his ward's shirt, he shrieked, "Let me go! I'll set you on fire if I have to!"_

"_Try it!" Loboto challenged, smiling calmly, and he snickered as Bobby squinted in concentration, desperately trying to set him aflame. He grew a little warm, but that was the brunt of the assault._

"_Why? Why can't I-?"_

"_Mental block!" Loboto rapped his knuckles against the hat. "You can't use any powers. Just remember that when you're in a dentist's office, the dentist is always right. Now, you're probably wondering, 'Why did my dear old Dad bring me out to this disclosed location?'" He paused, realizing Bobby was no longer speaking and shouted, "Well, are you?"_

"_Y-yeah!" Bobby squeaked, flinching._

"_Ah, smart lad. You see, son, I've wanted to spend some…quality time with you. It's been a nearly a year since you ran into my arms, wailing for me to not leave your dear mother, but times have changed it seems. You've moved on. Hannah has moved on. I'm clearly not wanted anymore." He shook his head, sighing quietly before beaming once more. "However! In my time, I've been doing some…medical research."_

"_On what?"_

_Loboto whirled around, his metal claw slamming into Bobby's temple. Bobby uttered a weak cry reminiscent to a battered puppy, eyes shutting to block out the warping pain in his skull. Snatching Bobby's chin, he screamed, "Didn't Hannah teach you to shut up when adults are talking?"_

_"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he wailed pitifully. "Lemme go, Dad! Lemme go! I wanna go home!"_

"_Oh, but you'll go home to Mommy soon, son. Just let me talk, 'kay?" When a teary-eyed Bobby nodded, he wiped his eyes with a tissue and internally frowned when Bobby winced at his touch. Throwing the tissue over his shoulder, he continued. "While I was away for this long, sordid year, I did research! You see, son, I learned so many wonderful things while I was away. I learned so much more about teeth. In fact, there's an even bigger tooth that no one calls a tooth! Do you know what that is?"_

"_N-no…"_

"_The brain!" Loboto proclaimed, pinning his forehead against the helmet that encased Bobby's skull. "If the brain is bad, like a regular tooth, you pull it. It's bold, beautiful, powerful, poignant, and filled with nasty, cruel thoughts. Brains have the power to destroy and create. If they are bad, the rest of the teeth are bad. If they are pure, wholesome, the rest of the teeth of pure and wholesome, but you!" He dug his finger into Bobby's chest, making him whimper feebly, narrowing his infuriated glower. "You've let your teeth begin to rot! Do you know what that makes of your brain? Horrifically evil! Cruel to the point of damnation!"_

_He cut himself off, propping Bobby's mouth open with his fingers and took up his glass scalpel. Placing it back in his mouth, he gasped sharply, nearly dropping the sharp device in his mouth before ripping it back out, nearly slicing through his lips on the way out. His muscles tensed, and he shook, rage whirling up inside of him. How? How could he let his teeth go in such disarray?_

"_You have a cavity! A damned cavity!"_

"_Wha-? Nuh-uh! I don't! I brush and floss!" Bobby pleaded, shaking his head._

"_In the back! Where your missing molar is! There's plaque! Filthy, black plaque and a cavity forming on the tooth before your missing one! It's horrible how far you've gone! Who knows what else could be lurking in your mouth? All of your teeth are bad! Bad teeth! Just like your brain, the biggest tooth of 'em all!" Loboto slammed his fist against the side of Bobby's head, making the boy feel the need to start sobbing all over again as tears trickled down his teeth. "All of these bad teeth need to be pulled!"_

"_St-stop…Dad, stop…"_

_Loboto walked back to his table, throwing the scalpel down and battered his hand against the sadistic, metal tools of dental variety. He paused, picking up a pair of sullied, rusty pliers. Giving it a good squeeze, he found the pincers were still fully operable and leered back to his son._

"_Well, I found just the thing to pluck out those bad teeth! Usually, with younger patients, I'd have used the old tie the tooth in a string and slam a door trick, but you're ten, right? Yes, ten. So, you have some adult and child teeth. What a mix! All vile teeth, though, so they must go! Then…we'll go to the biggest, baddest tooth of them all…" He brushed his son's cheek, leaning close to his ear and whispered, "…the brain."_

_Snapping his fingers, Bobby grunted as wooden restraints latched out of the chair and hooked around the insides of his mouth, preventing him from closing. Bobby struggled to flail, screaming wildly for anyone to come rescue him. Where was his mother? He wanted his mother so badly to just wake him up and tell him that he had a nightmare. Tears continued to streak down his blushed cheeks, and all he could was watch as Loboto patted his head, smirking._

"_Now, I want to remove the upper teeth first so you don't have a chance to bite down. So, we'll have to move your upper jaw, or plate as some say, forward. Just about…oh, so half an inch forward."_

_Loboto curiously inspected his pliers, shrugging nonchalantly. Stating he would have used something less messy, he decided that Bobby's teeth had gone too far that the pain would not have mattered. He slid the pincers over and behind his slightly crooked front teeth so it was position perfectly on his gums. With a surprising fit of strength, Loboto clamped down, earning a sharp whine from Bobby. Another shocking feat of power came forth as Loboto slowly tugged, ripping Bobby's upper plate forward. _

_Bobby screamed louder than he had ever wailed before. Bones in his upper plate cracked as Loboto forced his jaw forward, which would be the cause of his severe overbite. He tried to concentrate on anything, anything but the raw, undying pain in his mouth. Yet, with the pincers clamping firmly onto his gums, they pressed hot, searing agony throughout his skull, forcing the shrieks to come out against his will until Loboto stopped. He gasped, panting sharply with wide, unfocused eyes before willing himself to glance down at his mouth._

_All he could see was his distended overbite that lurched out over his bottom teeth a good half inch like what his father wanted. Loboto giggled delightedly, praising him for being such a good boy and ruffled his head through the hat. Bobby remained silent, too awed to retort with the tears continuing their descent. His jaw burned like a fire raging in his mouth. Yet, he was stricken with reality's cold hand when he felt the cool pliers clamp firmly onto his crooked front tooth._

"_N-no, Dad…Dad…p-please," he begged, lisping._

"_All bad teeth must be removed." His lips twisted upwards in a sick, caring grin, eyebrows furrowing as he suddenly clenched the pliers and ripped out his tooth. "Bare with it, okaaaaay, sooooon?"_

_Bobby shrieked, pain once again exploding in his mouth. He had no time to react as Loboto heaved into the back of his mouth, gripping his cavity-inflicted teeth and clenched it tightly. With the wood preventing him from closing his mouth or biting, he desperately swatted at the pliers with his tongue to no avail. Loboto grunted, hitching a portion of the molar, and Bobby wailed once more, squeezing his eyes shut and mentally begged for someone to hear him._

_Mom…I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Mom…Mommy…Help me. Somebody, anyone, help-_

_He screamed once more as Loboto ripped out his cavity-inflamed teeth, smirking deviously at it. "Oh, there are holes in the back of it by the roots. Goodness, what does your mother feed you? Candy and ice cream?"_

_He cringed, recalling how he and his mother were supposed to celebrate with ice cream for his stunning math grades. Lowering his head, he sobbed for his mother once more, but this time, Loboto heard him._

"_Oh, I'm sorry, Robert. Mommy isn't here right now. Can't you let Daddy fix you up?" Loboto cooed, tickling the underside of his chin before ramming the pliers into his mouth and ripping out another tooth._

_Blood freely flowed onto Bobby's tongue like the tears that rolled down his cheeks. The coppery taste overwhelmed his senses from the thick, metal scent to the feel of the lucid liquid rolling down his throat. He was going to vomit, but Loboto had already gone back on the attack, stripping him of random, upper teeth to prevent the nauseous, screaming boy from doing so._

"_No can help you, son! No one can hear you! Only Daddy's here, and Daddy will make you all better!"_

"_Freeze!"_

_Indeed they did. Loboto glanced over his shoulder, gasping suddenly at the form of Coach Oleander, Milla Vodello, and Sasha Nein lunging at him. Sasha and Oleander wrapped their telekinetic grips around his legs and waist, preventing him from lunging at Bobby once more. Milla immediately levitated over to him, ready to ask if he was all right when she saw his face. She gasped, covering her mouth before immediately wrenching the wooden restraints out of Bobby's mouth and pulled the sobbing, wailing child to his chest._

"_Oh, God. Oh, darling, Bobby, we'll get you home. You're safe, baby," Milla whispered, throwing the helmet off him._

_Bobby, however, kept screaming and crying into her bosom as Sasha read to Loboto his rights. Oleander took a quick sweep of his lair, humming interestedly to himself before realizing that the crying was coming from Bobby and frowned. Bobby had always been a picture-perfect cadet. Wobbling over, he was ready to order him to stop crying when he saw one look at his face and instantly shut his mouth._

"_Are the rest of the Psychonauts here?" Oleander demanded as he and Sasha held the quivering dentist in his grasp._

"_They're on scene. We need to get him to a hospital," Sasha ordered, glancing over to Bobby. "Now."_

"_It's already too late for him anyway! He's a bad tooth! A bad tooth!" Loboto shrieked, laughing madly. "His mind is corrupted! His teeth destroyed! He was already madder than a hare in march! Madder than a hatter!"_

"_Shut yer trap, Caligosto," Oleander snarled, glaring at his former comrade. "Consider yourself lucky we have to take you in without hurting you." He squeezed his grip tighter around his stomach, making Loboto gasp. "Much."_

_Milla picked Bobby up into her arms, announcing, "I'll teleport him to the nearest hospital. You two take in that monster."_

_Bobby's eyes were half-lidded, staring wearily into the swirls on Milla's brightly colored dress. Someone heard him. He was safe. Closing his eyes, he heard a small voice in the back of his head laugh._

"_You're just like Daddy."_

_He fainted, leaning his head into Bobby's collarbone as she teleported to the nearest hospital._

_When he came too, he found himself under a spotlight. Gasping, he swatted the light away, sending it clattering to the floor and alerting the nearby nurse. She instantly went to him, placing her hands on his shoulders and ushering him to calm down. Bobby blinked, stupefied and was ready to ask where he was when he realized something was covering his teeth. Across his mouth was a large, cloth bandage that encircled his jaw. Bobby's eyes went wide, pointing to it in panicked-streaked horror when the nurse flashed him a calming smile._

"_Don't worry. It's a bandage to wrap up over the blood. You were old cold for a few days, little guy," she informed, patting his head as Bobby lied back down. "We gauzed up your mouth, but don't try to rip at any of the stitches, okay?"_

_"'Stitches?'" Bobby repeated, voice garbled from the cloth._

_She pursed her grinning lips, nodding. "Yes, stitches. Do you want to see your mother?"_

_At the very word 'mother,' he nodded feverishly. The nurse walked outside, and Bobby glanced around the white, pristine room. He found himself staring out the window to the opened, cloudy sky and wondered where he was when the door slammed back open._

"_Robert!" his mother shrieked, rushing over to him and embracing him tightly. "Oh, God! Thank God you're alive! Robert, Robert!"_

"_M-Mom," he stammered, smiling underneath his bandages before his arms wrapped around her neck. "Mom!"_

_They remained like that for a few moments, reveling in their serenity. For a few seconds, they cloud blot out the pain they had endured, and the comfort of having each other seemed to last forever until Bobby opened his eyes to find Oleander, Sasha, and Milla walking in._

"_Thank you, thank you for saving him," Hannah stammered, wiping her wet, green eyes._

"_There's no need to thank us. It's what we do," Sasha simply replied, adjusting his glasses. "The question is how are you doing, Bobby?'_

_He shrugged. "Okay, I guess."_

"_Are you sure, darling?" Milla questioned, crossing over to him and kneeling by his bed. When he nodded again, she placed a light kiss on his cheek and smiled. "You're a brave boy enduring what you did. I'm so glad to see you safe."_

"_We all are," Oleander added. "Your father is in lock-up. You're a very lucky boy, Bobby. His lab was on the other side of Lake Oblongata in that old insane asylum. We heard the screaming as we were setting up for camp and went to investigate."_

"_It was such a quiet night that your voice echoed all the way to camp," Sasha interjected, crossing his arms. "You were quite loud."_

_"Sasha, don't you dare berate him," Milla warned, glaring slightly._

"_Excuse us." The nurse walked back in with a woman that Bobby presumed was his doctor grinning over to him. "It's good to see that you've woken up. Your mouth was quite the challenge. We've stitched up what we could. However…your teeth…" She frowned, shaking her head. "Most of what that man removed were adult teeth, and with the shape of his upper jaw now, I suppose only the finest of dentistry can save him."_

"_Wh-what do you mean? What does his mouth look like?" Hannah cried as the doctor walked over._

_She placed her hands on the back of the cloth, undoing the knot and slowly took it off. The nurse glanced at her feet, and the doctor could only frown disappointedly. Milla and Hannah's mouths slacked in horror as Oleander closed his eyes in shock at the sight of Bobby's mouth. Sasha shook his head, only muttering what a monster Loboto had been._

"_What?" Bobby squeaked. "Is it bad? Lemme see."_

"_You probably shouldn't-"_

"_Let me see!" Bobby roared, throwing his hand out and snatching the doctor's jacket. "If ya don't give me something to see my mouth with-'_

"_Bobby, let her go!" Oleander boomed, and Bobby hesitated, keeping his glare firm before releasing her. "Milla, give him that compact you have."_

_Milla relented, removing the compact, but gasped slightly when Bobby snatched it from her. He flipped it open, furrowing his eyebrows to examine himself when he quietly gasped, cringing at what he saw._

_He was a monster. His jaw had been torn forward in a way that he thought was unimaginably sick. His teeth were disproportioned, some there and some not with large gaps between the horrifically crafted teeth. Slowly, he returned the compact to Milla and simply stared at his mother, who was trying to hold back her tears._

"_I-I look bad?" he asked softly._

"_W-we'll fix you up, honey. Just wait. I'll have enough money, and I'll get you braces, and you'll be all better," Hannah promised, losing the battle to her tears as she suddenly uttered a wail and leaned into Milla._

_Milla wrapped her arms around her back, patting down her wiry, orange hair and cooed, "There, there, this is not your fault in the slightest. Crying won't do you or Bobby any good."_

"_I'm a freak," Bobby suddenly announced, glaring at his hands. "I'm a freak, aren't I? Look at me! I had good teeth, didn't I? None of 'em were bad teeth! But he did this to me!" Shooting out of his bed, he screamed, "I'll find and kill 'im!"_

"_Get back here, soldier!" Oleander shouted, chasing after him with Sasha._

_Bobby brazenly stormed through the hospital's nurses, doctors, and guests. He blasted through on his levitation ball, noticing that every single person was gazing at his mouth. He weakly tried to cover his grotesque, disfigured teeth, but here and there, a tooth popped loose and hung out of his mouth from his extended upper jaw._

_Blinded by rage, Bobby crashed into an opening door, legs twisting together as he collapsed to the floor. He covered his mouth, moaning weakly as the man gasped and hurried away, pretending to ignore it as Sasha and Oleander caught up to him. Sasha offered Bobby something to drink, but he shook his head, vigor completely gone. A glaze crossed his eyes, defeat sprouting up inside of him._

_He was a freak._

"_Hey, coach?" Bobby quietly mused._

"_What is it, kid?" Oleander inquired, kneeling by him and placed his hand on his right shoulder._

"_When does camp start?"_

"_Next week. Wait, are you-?"_

"_I'm goin'. I wanna go." He lowered his head as Oleander smiled, proud of him. "After all, there's nothin' really happening with me at the time back home."_

"_You still need time to recover," Sasha interjected._

"_Hey, this kid nearly has all of his merit badges, Nein," Oleander barked, snapping his finger at him. "He's one in a million. All he needs is clairvoyance and invisibility. He can do those without much trouble or exertion."_

_Standing up, Bobby quietly thanked Oleander and made his way back to his room. However, he picked up on their conversation, causing him to gradually slow down._

"_Ach, poor kid. He'll never really make it as a Psychonaut now with those…things in his mouth."_

"_Hey, don't make fun of him, Nein. Though, the mental trauma that happened could affect him in the battlefield. He could develop post-traumatic stress disorder."_

"_Yes. Children with mental disorders are so volatile. I fear Bobby will hurt himself."_

"_Are you two saying I can't be a Psychonaut?" Bobby screeched, whirling around and glaring at the duo. "Haven't ya ever heard of bein' private? You could've started talking when I was gone! How dare you? I'm gonna be a damn Psychonaut, and I'll be better than both of you combined! I'll be the best damn Psychonaut this world has ever seen, and I'll prove my dad wrong! I am great! I'm Bobby freaking Zilch! Nothing and no one can stop me!"_

_Before he could go on, something stabbed into his neck. Gasping, he found a syringe sticking out of him before his eyes dropped. Bobby fell forward, collapsing into Sasha's strong hands and saw the doctor remove the syringe, pity in her eyes before passing out._

_He recovered steadily, having no more outbreaks like he had with Sasha and Oleander. Surprisingly, Bobby was prepared enough for camp, even though Hannah pleaded with him to stay home. He insisted on going, saying he just needed two more badges before he would be promoted to a better training facility. She relented on the promise that Bobby would wear his cloth bandage at all time to prevent his jaw from shifting. He agreed, and Hannah left him off for camp a week later._

"_Heeeey, Bobby!"_

_He turned, grinning behind his cloth to find eight-year-old Clem running towards him. "Hey, Clem! I haven't seen you in forever!"_

"_Yeah! One year sure flew by. I-" He paused, staring at the cloth around Bobby's mouth. "Uh…"_

"_Don't say anything, okay?" Bobby requested softly, blushing slightly. "This is just, uh, bad for me."_

"_Okay, but why do you have to wear it?"_

"_It's…for my mouth. I don't wanna talk about it."_

_Clem shrugged, pulling Bobby along to camp. Bobby smiled, allowing Clem to talk about what he had been up to and introduced Bobby to the bubbly, seven-year-old Crystal who had her hair in pigtails. To Bobby's sadness, Dart was not returning to camp under the premise of his moving to another, European country. Yet, Bobby was able to push to sad times away even for a little while. Clem and Crystal made camp bearable for him, even though Milla did not allow him to go under any psychic training besides clairvoyance and invisibility with a few of the other instructors._

_A few days after they settled in, they were eating lunch together with eight-year-olds Quentin and Phoebe jamming together in the lodge. Bobby realized that he could only eat soft foods like Jell-O or puddings, but when he did, it was by himself. Now, he had one of Ford's hamburgers in front of him with Clem and Crystal sitting next to him._

"_Are you not hungry, Bobby?" Crystal asked, cocking her head._

"_Huh? Oh, yeah. I ate already," Bobby lied, but his stomach spoke the truth._

_Clem frowned. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen you eat anything. Are Ford's burgers really that bad? They were okay last year."_

"_N-no, it-it's just, um…" He scratched his head, other hand tugging at the cloth._

"_Are you hiding something under that cloth?" Crystal wondered, pointing to it as Clem leaned forward, quirking an eyebrow._

"_Sheesh, you two are way nosy today. If it bugs you guys so much that I'm not eating, maybe I'll leave," Bobby snapped, prepared to get up when Clem reached up and grabbed his shoulder._

"_We don't mean to judge you," Clem earnestly replied and smiled. "We're your friends, Bobby. I noticed that you're kinda different this year. You're a lot quieter considered to last year's you. You can tell us anything."_

_Bobby paused, sitting back down and gazed at their kind, smiling faces. It was Clem and Crystal, the nicest people he had ever met along with Dart. They had never made fun of him, even if Clem sometimes openly criticized Bobby's intentions. Instead of everyone else who whispered about his cloth bandage, they said nothing about it and acted as if he were normal the rest of camp._

"_Okay. I'll show ya first, and I'll tell you guys after what happened." Bobby gripped the ends of the bandage. "You won't laugh, will you?"_

"_Wha-? Of course we won't, silly!" Crystal gushed, waving her hand dismissively._

"_I'm sure whatever is behind your cool mask is fine," Clem reassured, patting Bobby's back._

_He smiled despite what he was going to show them. Slowly, Bobby undid the cloth and placed it on the table, still grinning at them._

_Their eyes went wide when they saw the grotesque, misshapen teeth and large overbite. Crystal nearly choked on her burger, beating at her chest as Clem's head slowly went to the side. He cleared his throat, opening his mouth to speak as Bobby raised an eyebrow, not sure of what to make of their reaction._

"_Bobby…your teeth…they…uh…" Crystal trailed off, stupefied._

"_Wow. Did you lose a fight to a dentist?" Clem asked._

_"Wha-? Dude, low, I-"_

_Clem broke into a snicker, not bothering to cover his mouth. Bobby froze, letting his laughter slowly rise, and to his horror, Crystal joined in. They laughed, breaking off their promise. They did not even try to conceal their amusement, and Bobby sat there, wrapped in a fit of dumbstruck terror as their hideous, callous laughter stabbed into his eyes._

_They promised. They promised they would not laugh._

"_Hurt them," a voice whispered, making Bobby wince._

"_They hurt you." "Hurt them." "Break them." "It's his fault!" "Can't Daddy fix you?" "Oh, Daddy can't!" "No one likes you!" "They think you're a freak!" "Monster!" "Ugly!" "They can't stand looking at you!" "Go run to a circus!" "Your teeth! Oh God!" "Smite them!" "Kill them for hurting you!"_

"_IT'S THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN SAVE YOURSELF! HURT THEM BEFORE THEY HURT YOU! BOBBY ZILCH!"_

_He snapped, eye twitching. Rage suddenly shot through every fiber of his being like bullet slashing through its target. Standing up, he snatched the chair he previously sat in and raised it over his head. Clem stopped laughing momentarily, finding Bobby's shadow hovering over him and looked up. His smile instantly faded when Bobby slammed the chair over his skull._

_Again. Again. Again. Bobby relentlessly bashed Clem's head in, making the younger boy scream in peril. Crystal joined in, backing away and begged Bobby to stop. His shrieks overpowered Quentin and Phoebe's music as they jolted to a stop to watch as Bobby beat Clem. Bruised formed along his face and neck, and Bobby panted, stopping momentarily and dropped the chair by him._

"_Clem, shut yer mouth for a minute. You are worthless piece of crap. I can't believe I hung around with you two cheerful losers!" He broke into a devious smile, laughing wickedly. "I can't believe it! This is perfect! This is the only way to save myself! I have to hurt them before they can hurt me! It's perfect! This is just so freaking perfect! C'mon, Clem!" He rammed his foot into his Clem's stomach, making him yelp as Bobby continued jabbing his heel into his ribs, "Laugh, Clem, laugh! C'mon! I can't hear you laughing! Make another joke, beaver! After all, you're so funny, Clem! You should start a comedy club! You and your little girlfriend there! Hah! But they'd be laughin' 'cause of yer looks and not yer act, you stupid beaver!"_

"_Stop! Please, stop! I'm sorry! I didn't mean-!"_

"_Shut up!" Bobby roared, making Clem wince and cover his head with his hands. "You're like a worm at my feet. You and Crystal are nothing. Watch out 'cause Bobby Zilch is comin' through."_

The screen faded for a split second before coming back instantly. Now, there was Bobby at eleven, facing his former friend with an irritated smile. Nine-year-old Clem was glaring at him, arms crossed with eight-year-old Crystal huddled by his side. Bobby's teeth were even in worse repair than before with yellow highlights with part of his gums turning a slight shade of green.

"_What'd you dorks call me hear for?" Bobby demanded, raising his fist._

"_I just want to talk, Bobby. What happened to you? We used to be-"_

"_-friends! Aw, is the beaver lamenting about our time together? How sad! You must be gay or something! What, you in love with me? Heh, stupid cheerleader."_

_Clem's fists clenched at his sides, glaring murderously at the cheerleader. They were alone at the docks at dusk. He had called Bobby out there to talk, to know why the sudden change. They used to be such wonderful, close friends, but ever since he laughed at his teeth, Clem and Crystal had inadvertently laughed, they had triggered a dark change in the once kind, giving boy to a monstrous, cruel bully._

"_W-we only wanna know why you're like this," Crystal stuttered, hiding behind Clem slightly._

"_Ehh? Little baby Crystal is talkin' so slow. Maybe she needs to have her baby blankie with 'er," Bobby chortled, sneering at the whimpering girl._

"_That's enough, Bobby! We didn't come here to fight! We just want to help you." Clem's features softened, reaching out to Bobby, who merely gazed at his hand. He smiled lightly, desperation tinting his words to have his former best friend back._

_Bobby stared at the open palm, unimpressed. Who did he think he was? A messiah sent to save him? He smirked, reaching out before snatching his wrist and flipping Clem over his shoulder. He immediately went on the offensive, smashing his fist into his face and straddled his waist, snickering wickedly and leaned close to his ear._

"_You never learn, do ya, beaver?"_

"_You're the one who doesn't learn!" Clem hissed before ramming his knee into his stomach._

_Gasping, Bobby fell backwards, and Clem tackled him to the ground. They rolled along the side, trying to gain the upper hand as Crystal shrieked, begging for them to stop fighting. All she wanted was them to be friends again, after all. It was one of her deepest wishes, but seeing them as they were, she felt that wish shatter like several others she had. _

_Clem bashed his elbow against Bobby's temple, managing to gain the advantage briefly. Using that time wisely, he snatched his wrists, pinning to the side and spread them out, panting heavily through his mouth as tears started up in his eyes. He did not want this. All he wanted was his friend back._

"_You stupid-! Let go," Bobby seethed, glaring at him before realizing that Clem had begun to cry. "What're you-?"_

"_Why? Why did things have to get so bad between us, Bobby?" Clem whispered, tears falling down his face as he released Bobby. "I'm sorry for laughing last year. I had no right to laugh when you asked us to not laugh. If that's my sin, please, forgive me. Forgive us. We just want the old you back, Bobby."_

"_Oh, Clem." Bobby smiled gently, reaching out to touch his cheek when he snatched his ear and smirked. "I never will." _

_He threw Clem to the ground, immediately getting to his feet and smirked as Clem stopped moving. Smiling at the defeated groan he emitted, he watched Crystal run over to him and carelessly kicked her in the back, sending her flat on her stomach next to him._

"_Hey, you know what? Nobody wants you guys around. All you do is spread those lousy cheers and dances and rhymes. Heh, maybe you should just…" He licked his lips, crouching down by them as they weakly looked up to him and cocked his head. "…kill yourselves."_

_Laughing wickedly, Bobby walked away from the mesmerized, dumbfounded duo and walked back towards camp before pursing his lips and stopping. He glanced over his shoulder, finding Clem sobbing harder than he had ever heard before and grit down on his overbite._

"_Bully." "You hurt them." "Stop existing." "They deserved it." "Die." "Die." "DIE!"_

_He gripped his ears, falling into make-out cave and started to cry. He truly lost his only friends in the world_


	21. The Past IV

Psychonauts © Double Fine

The Past

Part Four

"And, well, there ya have it," Bobby muttered, shutting the main monitor off and dropped the remote onto the floor. "After Dad did…'it,' I became very wary of myself. My teeth, well, they still suck, and I trusted those two not laugh. When they did, the nightmares broke. They won, and they broke me. It's when I started hurting others. I wanted to hurt them like they hurt me, but I guess I was only feeding into the nightmares' fuel. I was isolated in camp until I met you a year later. Benny was around, but he pretty much ditched me to join Maloof and that communist." He scratched the back of his head, glancing away. "Back at school, I lost my friends because they were disgusted with my teeth, so I just ended up hurting them with my telekinesis like with wedgies and Indian burns. Pretty soon, I had my own gang of thugs…and my life was still awful. Sometimes, I think it is my fault. I mean, I trusted Dad, and look at what happened. I let the nightmares take control, and I lost all of my friends because of it, and now, they mock me for being alone. Heh, I guess this really is all my fa-"

He cut himself off, noticing something odd about Chloe. Her head was hanging, and he could not see her expression through her slightly shaded helmet. Frowning, he asked if she was all right, but he received no response. Had she been watching at all? Chloe appeared to have been staring at the ground the whole time! Grumbling, he crossed his arms and glared at her, deciding that maybe she did not care at all until he heard a strange noise.

Looking back at her, Bobby leaned forward, cocking his head to get a look in. Fog was on her helmet, and he knew that the inside of her helmet most certainly did not have a fog machine. Swiping his finger against it, he realized the fog was coming from the inside when he left not a single mark. Concern propped up on his face, wondering if he had judged her too quickly and asked if she was all right.

"No," she whispered, her hands covering her helmet.

"I-I'm sorry. M-maybe, um, I shouldn't have-"

"No, I'm glad you showed me."

"Well, are you oka-?"

To his shock, Chloe suddenly heaved her helmet over her head and sent it flying to the floor. It clattered, bouncing a few times before spiraling into the wall. Bobby gawked, dumbfounded before finding Chloe clutching onto his jersey and sobbing harshly. Against him, she seemed so tiny and fragile, and Bobby could only awkwardly stare at her with his mouth wide open.

_Why is she crying? Oh, God, I made her cry! Crap! But why is she crying? I don't get it. This didn't happen to her. Maybe it was too gruesome for her. She's only eight! Stupid Bobby, what were you thinking? I…wait…_

He had just shown her the entirety of low points of his past. She had witness it all with him. The startling realization jolted him, making him tense as Chloe continued to cry against his chest, her arms wrapped around his back tightly. He slowly placed his hand on her blonde curls, gently brushing her large, pink bow.

_She's crying for me. She understands._

"I'm sorry. I am so sorry, Bobby." She looked up to him, clear tears dripping down her face as Bobby weakly smiled at her. "Everything you have been through…no one would ever wish that on anyone. I mean, your father and your teeth-"

"It's fine-"

"No, it is not!" Chloe bellowed, making Bobby flinch. "What you have been through is something no child should ever face! You've been tormented by these nightmares for years, and it is not your fault in the slightest, even though you blame yourself for this. It isn't. You are not to blame."

"But…but I hurt people. I bashed that chair against Clem's head, and I kept at it by bullying the other campers."

"But you have no blame to take when it was your father who out of his own will did that to you. You mustn't blame yourself." She shivered, wiping her eyes and embraced Bobby again. "Even if you do blame yourself, I forgive you for hurting the other campers, but you are not at fault! These nightmares and your father are! They're the ones that hurt you and plagued you, and you were at their mercy!"

"But what can I do? I don't wanna be this anymore!" Bobby cried, standing up and throwing his arms out. "Look at me! I'm a walking, talking, disfigured freak! How'm I gonna get my life back? Sure, even with these braces-" He pointed at his mouth, desperation coating his features. "-my teeth ain't never gonna be the same! So, tell me! What should I do?'

"You can start by taking Clem's former offer that I will now make back to you."

"Wh-what?"

Sliding off the table, she extended her hand, looking up to Bobby expectantly. "We want to help you, Bobby. You just have to reach out and accept it. There are people who still have faith in you. I certainly do, and I always will now that I am aware of the truth. The person who you once was died if you take my hand. We can all start over, Bobby."

He remained silent, eyes dilating as her words spun around in his head. He could start over? Even after all of the horrendous, brutal slurs, insults, punches, kicks, and awful grievances against his mother, the cadets, the counselors, he could begin anew? It was like receiving an undeserving second chance or like he was a corrupt politician who came off scot-free after a legal scandal. Still, Bobby wanted to change. He no longer wanted to be the bad guy, the bully, the one everyone despised and stayed away from. He wanted friends. He wanted to laugh freely with others again. He wanted to rebuild that psitanium car with Clem and not crash into Oleander's jeep.

Chloe was offering him redemption. She forgave him for his anger-fueled, consequential actions. It was his father's fault, and it was also the nightmares' faults for hissing those cruel reminders in his ears of "it" and his crimes against the ones that used to be his friends or even just nice to him. Chloe understood and cried for him when no one else would. She was his last hope.

He took her hand as the nightmares broke through the room.

"Dammit!" Bobby shouted, throwing her behind him. "Get outta here, Chloe!"

"I'm not leaving you! Not after you showed me-!"

"Listen! If I'm gonna change, I gotta get rid of these freaks first! Only I can put these guys on ice. Only the guy with nightmares can break through them." Bobby cracked his knuckles, smirking as they slowly slithered around them, encircling the back-to-back duo. Reaching behind him, he ruffled Chloe's hair, smirking. "I'll be unconscious for a little while longer. You don't gotta wait up. When I wake up, I'll be different. You'll see."

Chloe turned, finding Bobby's hand shooting into her pocket. Stunned, she could only watch as he removed one of her Smelling Salts and held it out to her face, unhooking it. Chloe gasped, taking in a breath and wobbled instantly. Bobby was already holding his breath as the fumes bypassed him and turned away as Chloe vanished from his mind. He smirked, cracking his knuckles and chuckled at the overwhelming nightmares.

"Well! I am so sick of you freaks! You guys think yer tough? Come at me, and let's find out!" Bobby shouted, pyrokinetically enflaming his hands as he brazenly charged at the first nightmare he saw.

Chloe yelped, waking up in her real body with a jerk. She gasped, looking down at Bobby's face and found that his eyes were closed, and he had resumed sleeping. She watched as the Psycho-Portal levitated off his head, and she watched as it flew back into Sasha's hand.

"Darling, what happened?" Milla inquired, grasping her shoulders. Chloe blinked, having forgotten she was in the infirmary. "You look so flustered?"

"I-I found Bobby. He told me everything, and I witnessed it all," Chloe replied, glancing at her feet.

"What does that mean?" Sasha mused, holding his cigarette and leaned against the table behind him.

"His memories, both good and bad. I saw when he was first joining camp as a happy kid and how much of a fun, friendly guy he was to Dart and Clem. Then, his parents divorced, and his father went mad." She closed her eyes, adding, "I saw 'it' and how 'it' transformed him."

Milla and Sasha remained quiet, the former's hand rising to delicately tap her chin. She glanced over to Bobby, wondering why Bobby would open up to her instead of anyone else. She had seen Bobby fawn over the alien believer, finding his affection towards her adorable and pure. Taking the Psycho-Portal from Sasha, she asked Bobby still needed assistance.

"The last I saw of him before he kicked me out with my Smelling Salts was that he wanted to change, to go back to who he was before." She sighed, shaking her head. "Except there is one problem."

"And that would be what?" Sasha questioned.

"The nightmares attacked us. Bobby sent me out and said he was going to fight them on his own."

"That's too much for him! Bobby's nightmares are overwhelming! He doesn't even have a nightmare room like I do!" Milla exclaimed. "I need to-!"

"No!" Chloe shouted, grabbing her wrist when she was about to place the Psycho-Portal on Bobby's forehead. "He said he has to do this himself. When he awakens, we'll be able to help him."

"But, darling, he could be-"

"Milla, let's trust her," Sasha interjected, stepping away from the table and took the Psycho-Portal back. "Bobby was once a promising cadet, and he still has potential. Even with his mind like this, there is a chance that he can save himself. Chloe is right. We can only help if he defeats his nightmares much like how you were able to seal your nightmares away."

Milla stared at Sasha hesitantly, not wanting to be reminded of her own nightmares. It took her weeks to seal up those fiery demons in that enclosed room and place up the bars. Still, they could speak and snarl in that room, but no one would hear them unless they entered through the box. She had banned the children from ever entering, but Raz' curiosity got the best of him. Closing her eyes, Milla sighed and stated it would be a while for Bobby to wake up.

"He said I didn't have to 'wait up' for him. He said he would come back," Chloe recalled, sadly looking up to Milla. "Does that mean he will be like this for a while?"

She smiled sympathetically, picking Chloe up and hugging her. "It could be, darling, but Bobby is a very strong psychic! He's a lot more powerful than you think. He's nearly on a par with Razputin."

Chloe nodded, hugging Milla back as the woman sashayed out of the room with Sasha falling. She cast Bobby one last glance before allowing Milla to carry her out of Sasha's lab. Once outside, Chloe left her counselors in search for a certain, cheerleading duo. She knew their usual spots be it on the roof or some other high location, but she had a feeling where they might have been. She crossed through the forest to find the two cheering on Janitor Cruller as he mopped up a spill.

"Hello, cheerleading earthlings," she greeted, and the two instantly smiled at her.

"Hey, Chloe! You were gone all day!" Clem replied as Crystal nodded.

"Yeah! We missed you!"

"Thank you. Your sincerity is refreshing after what I have seen."

Clem and Crystal exchanged a glance, unsure of what she meant. Usually, Chloe would tersely ask them to leave because she would either be working on paper airplanes or hanging around with Bobby. To their delight, she asked a moment of their time, and Cruller was quick to thank her for getting them to leave.

Chloe brought the cheerleaders back to their shared cabin. She sat on the wooden floor, and they were quick to follow, smiling at her. Chloe quickly took in their appearance. Clem had not changed much except for longer hair that reached a little past his ears, a dark blue shirt, and black pants. Crystal had longer hair that was still in its gravity-defying ponytail along with a pink skirt, dark purple stockings, and the camp shirt. She sighed, asking if they knew where Bobby was.

Clem frowned at the mere mention of the bully. "No."

"That response was rather quick," Chloe stated, looking over to him. "Might I ask you a few questions?"

"Is this about Bobby? I really don't want to talk about him especially after what he's-" He caught Crystal's wide-eyed glance. "I mean, we're not really close to Bobby as you are."

"That is a blatant lie."

"Huh? Clem is lying. We don't know Bobby that well," Crystal interjected, surprise by her forceful tone.

"That's another lie. Seven-year-old Crystal and eight-year-old Clem were certainly good friends with Bobby when he had that bandage around his mouth, and the year prior, seven-year-old Clem was Bobby's best friend and continued to be until Bobby beat you over the head with a chair."

"Who told you all that?" Clem barked, ready to get to his feet and leave. "If you're just going to patronize us-"

"You did. You just confirmed it."

Clem paled slightly, astounded that he fell straight into her trap. Quietly, Clem rubbed his temples and sighed. "There's no point in hiding it. We were Bobby's friends, good friends. I knew him before Crystal with Dart. We had so much fun together, but something changed in him. He became a monster."

"Nothing happens out of the blue as you humans say. Nothing is random. There are triggers in people, and I'm blaming you," Chloe replied, her voice softening. "When Bobby was ten, one week before camp, he was gravely injured by his father."

"His father? What happened?" Crystal asked, both of their faces flickering with concern.

"I'm not so sure if I should tell you this, but I suppose it should not be bad. I went into Bobby's mind today when he was comatose. Remember this morning when he was not getting out of bed? His nightmares had seemingly taken over his mind and made him comatose."

"Oh, my God. How can a person's nightmares do that?" Crystal murmured, her fingers touching her lips in shock.

"Sometimes, they're overwhelming. Anyway, I saw Bobby in his mind, and we escaped the nightmares. He brought me to this broken video room where he stores his memories, and he should me some things." She looked at Clem. "Do you remember when you and Bobby made that psitanium car and barreled into Oleander's jeep?"

"Bobby hit his forehead, and he just laughed it off so easily. It was fun," Clem admitted, bringing his knees to his chest. "He always liked to tease me, but Bobby was my first real friend here. He was also so loud and exuberant and getting me in trouble, but it was still fun."

"Do you know why he is like this?"

They shook their heads.

"Because of what I previously mentioned. His father, one week before camp, kidnapped him and savagely ripped up nearly half of his upper teeth."

They could only stare with the most perturbed expressions she had ever seen. Clem's brows furrowed, lips slightly parted to try to speak, but his throat had dried up. Crystal gripped at her chin, mouth slacking slightly in horror at what she had said. Chloe watched their expressions, concluding that both were too terror-stricken to speak, and she continued.

"I am not asking for forgiveness on his part. That is entirely up to you both, but he is utterly sorry for what he has done. Before others hurt him, he had to hurt them. That is the mentality he had from that treacherous day until today. When you two laughed at him, it was his breaking point. He believed that he needed to hurt you two before you two could hurt him even further. That is what the nightmares said, and Bobby believed them, forcing himself into isolation at camp and in his hometown."

"Why didn't tell us though?" Crystal demanded quietly, her voice slightly shrill.

"Bobby was ashamed. He blamed himself for it for far too long," Chloe admitted, standing up. "He's still no longer in his coma. He's simply unconscious right now and fending his nightmares. When he wakes up, he said that he'll be different. Excuse me for taking up your time."

When she went to leave, Clem grabbed her hand. Staring at him, she waited until he rose to his feet and released her. He sighed, shaking his head as Crystal followed his lead, not sure where he was going with his mental processes by grabbing Chloe. The space cadet frowned, unimpressed by his sudden lack of motivation and asked what he wanted.

"You know, I've been trying to figure out for years what went wrong. I always thought it was because I made that stupid joke and laughed at it. We weren't laughing at him." Clem shook his head again, closing his eyes and trembled. "I-I'll guess you saw what Bobby said to us a year after he changed?"

"Yes. He said to kill yourselves."

"Clem, are you going to-?" Crystal stopped, nodding complacently when Clem smiled back at her.

"When Bobby comes outta his funk, we'll tell you, okay? Do you know when he'll be better?"

"That's uncertain. He has a hoard of nightmares. It's like facing a Gordanian army." She shrugged, but had to look up when Clem patted her head. "What?"

"Thank you."

"Why?"

"Well, you're the one he opened up to, silly!" Crystal gushed, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl's shoulders. "If it weren't for his crush on you, he'd probably be moody jerk for the rest of his life!"

"He's actually rather affectionate towards me." She paused. "What is this 'crush?'"

"Oh! I'll tell you! It's when a boy has feelings for a girl, but they're too shy to tell her! It's cute and romantic!" Crystal jeered, clasping her hands by her cheek. Snatching Chloe's hand, she dragged her off, proclaiming to teach her the mystery of love as Chloe shouted to be released.

Clem walked behind them, smiling all the way as Crystal went on and on about love. While he had forsaken love a while ago, he had to admit the idea was coming back with a new spring. When they crossed towards the lodge, he watched Crystal force Chloe inside as she grumbled to herself, Clem glanced down towards the parking lot, recalling the incident with the psitanium car. He smiled fondly before following the girls inside and chuckled to himself when he saw Crystal showing Chloe all sorts of books on romance, but he quickly stopped her when she reached 'boy-love' and the internet.

Chloe waited. So far, it had been four days since he had fallen unconscious. The other campers were informed of Bobby's mentality from Milla, who decided it would be for the best to let them know. Chloe had interjected, stating that Bobby would not want pity when he woke up, and it was a fact the campers agreed on. Even Maloof looked sorry for him, stating he would inform Mikhail of the tragedy when he went home.

Sasha only permitted Chloe inside to visit Bobby, stating too many cadets in at one time would possibly break the air quality of the room. The other cadets gave Chloe their condolences, even though she continuously proclaimed he was not dead. However, Chloe persuaded Sasha to let Clem and Crystal visit Bobby, who was still in the same position she left him in. Instead of speaking to the unconscious boy, they kept quiet and just watched, but Clem made a clever observation. He pointed out the red bags under his eyes, finding they were slowly disappearing.

"That is strange. The redness under his eyes was much darker," Chloe mused as Clem leaned forward, poking the bag,

"Sleep deprivation. It's a clear sign of it. Sometimes, bags under the eyes can form from old age, but this is clearly from lack of sleep," Clem informed.

"I had no idea you were so knowledgeable and observant," Chloe admitted, smiling at the two.

"Well, here's something we've noticed as well. Your helmet," Clem stated, pointing at Chloe. "You stopped wearing it."

"Yeah, you even left it here since you came back from Bobby's mind," Crystal added, pointing to her helmet that rested peacefully on a nearby table.

Chloe blinked, touching her cheeks and realized that she had not been wearing her treasured helmet. She reached out to grab it, but Crystal stopped it, stating she looked pretty without it. Chloe blushed, glancing away as Crystal giggled at her embarrassment. Sometimes, the cheerleaders were a tad too giving in their compliments.

"Excuse me," Sasha interposed, poking his head through the door, "Oly is demanding that the three of you attend class."

"Eh? What time is it?" Crystal questioned before looking up to a clock. "What? How is it already three in the afternoon? C'mon, Chloe!"

"Will you stop insisting on dragging me everywhere like I am a doll?" Chloe barked, but Crystal already heaved the girl out of her seat and dragged her away.

Clem chortled, standing up as Sasha left. He turned to follow the girls when something suddenly latched onto him. Gasping, his head shot down to his wrist, shocked at what he saw. Bobby's hand firmly latched around his wrist, refusing to let go, but when Clem observed his face, he was still in that same, blank expression with his eyes closed. Tensing, Clem sat back down, not sure of what to make of the development when Bobby's lips suddenly parted.

"I…so…"

"Bobby?" he whispered, leaning forward.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Clem's eyes widened as the string of weary, shaky apologizes wavered in the air. His body slackened, slumping back down into the chair as he listened to Bobby murmur his apologizes over and over again like a scratched record. Chloe had forgiven him of his crimes, but he had known Bobby personally for much longer.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Clem. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

He winced, not expecting to his name before closing his eyes and understood what he was sorry for. He was apologizing for his cruelty against him. Even though Bobby had been under the influence of the nightmares, some actions were still his own, and they both paid the price for it with Clem and Crystal's suicidal intentions after his malicious words, and Bobby for becoming the isolated bully of camp and his life.

"You can stop apologizing." Clem chuckled when the string of words died off to a dull mumble before coming to a full stop. "It's okay. I forgive you."

Bobby's lips parted slightly once more, but promptly closed. Clem waited for a few more moments, unknowing if Bobby would speak to him again. Deciding that he was done, Clem stood up and made his way to the exit.

"Thank you."

Clem smiled as he left, quietly shutting the door behind him without realizing that the redness and bags under Bobby's eyes were still diminishing.

"…and is you properly create shields. Any questions, darlings?" Milla asked, sitting with the cadets in the lodge.

"How long does a shield usually last?" Franke asked, raising her hand.

"Shields usually last for a good twenty or thirty seconds for cadets. However, if you keep practicing, the time amount for your shield should definitely increase as you improve your mental skill," she explained, smiling at the pink-skinned girl.

"Oh! Can you put shields on other people?" Elka enquired, sitting with Nils as the boy continued his attempts to charm a disinterested Kitty.

"You may like placing a shield on person yourself in case of an attack?"

Elka nodded. "I wanna put a shield on Nils so he'll stop flirting with that harlot!"

"Hey, he's the one coming onto me, sister!" Kitty snapped, crossing her arms. "Put a leash on him! Oh, and I am so not interested, Nils."

"Girls, girls, please, don't fight," Milla requested, placing her hands on their shoulders as they growled and looked away. "As for you, Nils, since you're dating Elka, it's very rude to flirt with other girls."

"What can I say, Ms. Vodello? I'm a chick magnet," Nils replied, smirking.

"You're a fly magnet because you're a pile of dung," Kitty retorted, causing Franke to laugh.

The cadets all chimed in with their laughs, causing Nils to blush a bright scarlet that stretched across both cheeks. For Chloe, still without her helmet, it was fun to watch the other earth primates interact. Elka was always accusing Nils of blatantly flirting, and she was usually right, which resulted in slapping Nils or Nils begging her to take him back. It was like a never-ending cycle of foolishness that Chloe seemed to enjoy.

"Now, I'd like for you all to stand up and…" Milla cut herself off, looking towards the rear exit as it creaked open. "Ford, is that you, darling? I thought Sasha informed you that I was using the lodge for shield training."

It was not Ford. Very slowly, the figure made himself known as he stared at his feet. Bobby looked up at the rest of the shocked cadets, having no bags or redness under his eyes. His eyes were brighter and larger as they were always deformedly small after "it" happened. Instead of his old, worn, and filthy jersey, he had on a zipped, black vest and blue pants courtesy of the lost and found bin in Oleander's office. He still had his sweatbands, a trademark of his youth, and, of course, no shoes. Bobby uncertainly glanced around to the cadets, finding them just staring at him with surprised gazes along with Milla.

"Uh, hi, guys," he greeted, arms crossing behind his back and smiled. "What's up?"

"I thought you were dead!" Nils shouted disappointedly. "Man, that means I can't flirt with Chloe anymore."

"Nils, you idiot! Chloe said he was just unconscious," Elka barked before registering what he had said. "The only dead person in this room is gonna be you! That's it! We're through again!"

Despite the tension from Elka blowing up, Bobby located Chloe sitting at a table with Clem and Crystal. He tensed, smiling wearily at them as he had been unconscious for nearly a week. Chloe stood up, walking over to him and gazed at his face in tight-lipped surprise. The redness and bags under his eyes were completely gone, and he seemed to have a brighter essence around them than the previous, malignant aura.

"I noticed ya don't have yer helmet. You look way better without it," he complimented, winking.

Chloe blushed slightly, smiling. "I will assume the nightmares are gone?"

"Most of 'em. I burned their asses, and, yeah, they did whoop me a few times, but I got 'em. Some are locked up. There're some things a guy just can't forget, ya know?"

"That's understandable, but you're feeling better, right?"

He smirked. "It's cute how you're concerned for me."

She frowned, crossing her arms stubbornly as Bobby chuckled. "I suppose you're still an idiot after all."

"Aw, c'mon, Chloe. I might be an idiot, but I kept my promise."

A smirk crossed her face, deciding to play a little. "Hm? What promise? I cannot recall."

Bobby pouted, stiffing his lower lip out. "To not be the isolated bully anymore! C'mon, you remember, don't'cha? I told you that I was gonna stop being the old me and try and…wait…I mean, I want to be the older me. Not the old, bully me. You know what I'm talking about, right."

"Something like that." She teetered on her feet, smiling as he openly whined for her to remember. "Might I add that you look healthy?"

Bobby paused, touching his cheek and quirked an eyebrow. He was not so pale anymore, and he appeared normal, despite his misshapen teeth and beamed. Before he could reply, he glanced over to Clem and Crystal, somberness instantly plaguing him. He shuffled his feet, unabashedly shy in their presence. His eye caught the corner of the room, recalling how they sat together peacefully one moment and how it crashed all around him when he slammed the chair over Clem's head the first time.

"Hey!" Clem had suddenly gotten in his face, smiling. "You woke up! That's great, Bobby!"

"Wh-what? Oh, um, y-yeah, I'm awake," Bobby mumbled, averting his gaze until he found Crystal looking up to him.

"Yeah! You were out cold for so long, and Chloe told us what happened, and we were all soooo worried about you!"

Bobby paused. "Wait, Chloe told you?"

She cringed when Bobby glanced over to him. "I'm sorry. I couldn't keep it to myself. I thought it would for the best that everyone knew beforehand."

"Don't worry about it. I guess it's best that everyone here knows." He shrugged, crossing his arms before looking back to the cheerleading duo. "Listen, I really can't say this enough, but-"

Clem covered his mouth with his hand, effectively muffling Bobby. He smirked, head tilting to the left. There was already enough anxious pain on his face, making Clem decide that telling Bobby that he was the trigger for "The Project" would only cause more harm than good. Revenge never solved anything. Releasing Bobby's mouth, he could only smile at the growing wonder on his old friend's face.

"Come on. You've already apologized. There's no need to repeat yourself when I have already forgiven you. Besides, I'm just really relieved that you're the old you again!"

With that, Clem latched himself to Bobby in a back-breaking hug. Bobby yelped, right eye twitching before realizing something. He had got what he wanted. He had his best friend back, and very awkwardly as he was not used to embraces, wrapped his arms around Clem's back before Crystal snuck her way inside and hugged them both. He would have reveled even longer in the moment if something did not pop up on his head. The trio looked at Bobby's afro, finding a pair of obstinate, violet eyes glaring down at them.

Chloe had jumped onto his head from the table, frowning as she had been left out the hug. While she would have not cared so much about the affection, she was a bit annoyed that they left no room for her. Chloe simply made herself comfortable amongst the fluffy, spry afro and curled herself into a ball like a cat.

"Can I just say that you're the cutest thing to ever exist?" Bobby sneered as Chloe smirked.

"You may."

"You're the cutest thing to ever exist."

After everyone had settled down with Bobby's sudden recovery, Milla had ended class early, telling everyone to give Bobby space, which included Clem and Crystal still trying to hug him. Even after waking up from a coma, Milla deduced that he required time to himself or with a few people at most to fully keep his mind under control. She sent the rest of the class away after they had told Bobby that they were worried for him. He had never been so touched that they would forgive him so quickly.

"Now, as for this nightmare room I'll assume you built, is it is a secure location in your mind?"

"Yeah. It's in this far corner of Wonderland."

"That's good. I-…what?"

"Wonderland."

"Is that what you're calling your mental world, hon?"

"Yep. I modeled it after Alice in Wonderland." He looked over to Clem. "Remember when we had that fake tea party? I was the Hatter, and you were the March Hare, and Dart was the Dormouse-"

"Oh, yeah! Because he kept falling asleep!" Clem exclaimed.

"Yeah! When Oleander, he got pissed, so we threw him in the lake!"

"And then we spent more time in the GPC," Clem recalled, mood deflating as Bobby ruffled his hair, smirking.

"So, yeah, I modeled it after Wonderland. I was inspired by that memory so I decided to make my mind all cool like that. Besides, when I was kid, Mom liked to read to me fairy tales."

"You know, I actually don't know much of these 'fairy tales,'" Chloe admitted. "Will you teach me of them?"

Bobby snickered, nodding as she looked down at him from his hair. "In fact, why don't we recreate the Mad Tea Party once more? Clem, we're stealing those bunny ears back from Oleander, and we're gonna get Crystal some mouse ears, and you're gonna be Alice, and it's gonna be fun!"

"Yay!" The cheerleaders cried, throwing their hands up into the air as Bobby followed the delightful duo out the lodge.

"You've changed, Bobby. This is for the better," Chloe whispered as Bobby smiled up to her.

"I've got you to thank. If you didn't help me out, I probably would still be out cold or this would've never happened. Thanks, Chloe."

She poked her head down, kissing his cheek and bringing a vibrant blush from the former bully. Instead of speaking, she allowed her actions to become louder than possible as Bobby's face continued to grow redder and redder. She giggled to herself as Bobby chuckled stupidly, rubbing his cheek as Clem turned around, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Is he okay or is he losing his mind again?" Crystal wondered.

"Crystal, my friend, this is what happens when you deal with simple earthling boys. One little kiss on the cheek, and they're done for."

"Like this?" she asked before leaning up and kissing Clem's cheek. Like with Bobby, he simply grew red in the face and chuckled stupidly. "Oh, wow! You were right, Chloe!"

"Of course. Come." She leaped off Bobby's head and took Crystal's hand, walking off with her. "When you two have made the preparations for the Mad Tea Party, Crystal and I will join you."

Bobby and Clem watched as the two girls walked off hand-in-hand. They looked at each other in confusion before sighing.

"Girls. I will never understand how their minds work," Bobby admitted.

Clem snickered, crossing his arms. "You can say that again."

"C'mon, I don't wanna leave 'em waitin'! You and me gotta set this tea party up! Then, we'll go back and steal Oleander's jeep again! All four of us! Just like old times, buddy!"

As Bobby dragged Clem off, the cheerleader could only wonder just how much trouble they were going to get into this time.

If you are wondering how much trouble the quadrant got into when they took Oleander's jeep for a joyride after the dress-up tea party, they did not. They had stolen the jeep at night and found a device to teleport them to Las Vegas and back. Why Oleander had that sort of button on his jeep, they did not want to know. Needless to say, the four had a blast.


	22. Storytime

Psychonauts (C) Double Fine

Jordan and Joshua Zilch (C) martina313

References for both characters can be found on her deviantart here: www. martina313. deviantart #/ d58izr7 (Remove the spaces.)

Storytime

How his daughter ended up-side down on the ceiling he would never know.

Bobby ended up using his telekinesis to goad little Jordan down with some effort as she had clutched her nails into the ceiling, leaving marks when he dragged her away. She looked like she had been crying, prompting the immediate, paternal concern to kick in when he scooped her up to his chest.

"Whassa matter, sweetie?" Bobby quietly asked, sitting in the middle of her floor as Jordan continued whimper sadly.

She muffled something into his chest, but he managed to catch, "...nightmare...Grandpa..."

Bobby tensed, biting down on the inside of his mouth. A nightmare was one thing, his father was another. Combined, they were too deadly to be let alone. He let Joshua go on for too long with the haunting figments of Loboto, and the boy could barely sleep when he was Jordan's age. He was not going to let it happen again.

"Sweetie, it was just a bad dream. That stupid old man is never gonna hurt you, especially not when I'm around." Bobby smiled when she looked up to him, mismatched eyes shining in the darkened room. Winking, he suggested, "Why don't we get you some milk, and I'll stay here until you sleep so Grandpa won't hurt you, 'kay?"

Jordan beamed, nodding as Bobby placed her onto his tamed afro. "Daddy?"

"Yeah?" he asked, stepping into the kitchen and prepared Jordan her drink.

"Tell Jordy a shtory, nya~"

Bobby paused. It was one in the morning, and she wanted a goddamn story. Humming, Bobby wracked his mind for a new one, one that he had not told her before, but couldn't think of one off the spot. As Jordan curled up onto his hair as he sat down on the couch with her drink, Bobby telekinetically turned on the light and spotted a picture of Ralda and Joshua when they were slightly younger.

An idea stuck him as fast as Lightning's namesake as a slow smirk began forming on his face. Picking up his daughter, he cradled her to his chest, and started, "Okay, Jordy. This one's called...The Compassion of the Tranny."

"Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Benny. He was a bit of scornful kid, but had his heart in the right place, I think. He grew up in a bully's shadow, and when he was a teenager, he was very resentful towards people. He liked to make fun of and tease others because of the bully he admired. One day, Benny passed an old, gypsy woman who begged him for food as she lived on the streets like a hobo. Don't be a hobo, Jordy, those people are filthy. In exchange, she would grant him a wish. However, Benny laughed and openly mocked her ugliness, calling the woman mad and dirty. As Benny walked away, the woman's skin began peeling off, revealing a beautiful maiden in her place, and she rose up into the air like an angel and glared at Benny for his cruelty. Benny begged for forgiveness, seeing her true self as stunning and wonderful. Yet, the young gypsy would have none of it.

'It seems you don't appreciate what you have. You see, I have been watching you, Benny. I have witnessed your vile actions, and I think some punishment is in order,' she stated with a frown.

Raising her hand, the woman shouted something in a dead language, the words slipping off her tongue like a rolling echo. Benny suddenly felt himself changing, and his body became more...womanly in a sense. When Benny looked down at himself, he realized in blundering horror that he now had...lady parts."

Jordan burst into laughter as Bobby quietly thought over how ridiculous the story was and bit down on his own lip to stop laughing. Realizing Chloe would kill him if she discovered him telling Jordan a story at one in the goddamn morning, he quickly quieted his daughter and resumed his story.

"'What have I done to deserve this?' Benny cried in horror.

'Your new name will be Becky. Physically, you are still a man, but you now have...lady parts.'"

Bobby continued to smile as he thought over just how funny it was that Benny became a girl.

"Anyway, the gypsy said that Becky would live her life out as a girl and hope she would appreciate her circumstances in order to understand compassion. She may learn something new that she would never have felt mentally as a boy. So, Becky left, humiliated, shocked, and morbid. What was there for her to do now that she was nearly a girl? She walked the lonely, cold, damp streets. Dusk had fallen a while ago, leaving the world in a dismal twilight. As Becky approached the block to her home, she heard another person sobbing on the street. She looked over her shoulder to find a younger boy, shorter than her, with his knees up to his chest, and tears leaking out of his eyes. Out of nowhere, Becky felt a pang in her heart. Something told her to assist as she slowly approached the weeping lad.

'What's the matter?' she asked, her voice now higher.

He looked up, and Becky felt a blush creep along her face as she observed his face. While it really looked like a fish, he had a charming quality that she could not deny.

'I-I don't know where I am,' he admitted softly. 'I'm lost.'

Becky bit down on her lip, overbite showing as the boy wiped his eyes. Again, her heart panged, prompting her to ask, 'I live right here. Would you like to stay with me until we can figure something out for you?'

He smiled, agreeing. The boy's name was...D'artagan, which is a stupid name, but what the hell, he's a gypsy, too, and the two became closer than can be. Becky learned how to care for another more than for herself, understanding what the angelic woman wanted for her. She understood the compassion, and transferred that compassion into romance, which D'artagan reciprocated. Soon, they were married, and somehow had a daughter, even if it's biologically impossible. The end."

Jordan stared up at her father, still smiling. "Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Why ish Uncle Becky a tranny, nya?"

"Ya know, I never found that out."

"That wash a good shtory, Daddy. I liked it! Eshpecially when the old gypshy curshes her, nya!"

"Aw, thanks, sweetie. Making up stories on the fly is actually a pretty good talent to have. Keeps me out of a lot of trouble in the Psychonauts when I leave recon missions to go off on my own to get stuff down."

Jordan continued to look at him, grinning.

"...You want another, don't you?"

She giggled, nodding.

Bobby glanced over to the same picture of Ralda and Joshua, another idea hitting him. "Okay, this one's called Ralda in Wonderland. It might take a while, and it might get confusing, but I think you'll like it."

Jordan nestled into her father as he began reciting whatever came to mind. She always loved her father's stories. Each story was different, and they always had a happy ending (except for that one story about King Dart the Tyrant of Scotland where he got his head cut off) which she loved. Plus, Daddy Zilch liked to include couples, and Jordan loved couples.

...

"Morning, Mom," Joshua sleepily replied, dragging himself down the stairs to find his mother staring at the couch with a look of bewildered amusement on her face. "Mom?"

Chloe snickered into her hand, gesturing for Joshua to come over. Joshua raised an eyebrow, noting his father was sitting there but found the same grin came to face when he saw them together. Bobby was hugging Jordan to his chest, chin resting on the top of her head as Jordan cuddled and resides against his chest. Chloe lowered the camera in her hand, glancing down at the picture and smirked.

"It looks like some people have been up rather late last night," she stated as Joshua looked on with a smile.


	23. Too Late

Psychonauts © Double Fine

Another future fic! This time, it is based off from Fifty Sentences III's "Despair."

Too Late

"I'm sorry, Agent Zilch, but she didn't make it."

Bobby remained silent, the grin still quietly plastered on his face. He looked Sasha dead in the eye, finding his deplorable, grimacing expression. Regret touched his pursed lips as Bobby's smile slowly faded, fist tightly clenched in his pocket. His silence echoed, not sure if he understood correctly and cocked his head.

"I'm sorry, but say that again," Bobby asked, suspicion coating his tone.

Sasha sighed trough his nose, looking down and took a long, steady drag from his cigarette. "She didn't make it. She is no longer of this world. I'm sorry."

The chilling words struck at Bobby's chest, stabbing deep into his lungs and heart. Breathing suddenly constricted, and Bobby felt as if he were being strangled with an invisible hand clutching around his neck. Bobby quickly surveyed the room, finding the sympathetic gazes of Milla, Raz, and Lili. He shook his head, a light smirk slowly stretching across his face and chuckled disbelievingly.

"C-c'mon, this is just some cruel joke, right? Is this some sort of occasion?" Bobby stammered, fist still clenching in his pocket.

"Bobby, this isn't a joke," Lili interjected, crossing her arms under her chest.

Bobby looked over to Milla, who wiped her teary eyes. He could already see the tears quietly pinching at the edges of her eyes, causing the light pink tinted mascara to slowly begin to run. She sniffled, wanting to speak, but she broke off and wiped her eyes. Bobby had always regarded Milla with the highest of respect, turning to her for confirmation, and when she gave a simple, heartbroken nod, Bobby stopped.

While he felt as if he could not breathe before, it was like a rope was wrapped around his lungs and squeezed them together. He felt his heart stop, and his body grew cold and tense as if he were a metal statue. Bobby continued to shake his head, muttering that it was impossible, but Raz reached out to pat his shoulder, but with his free hand, he slapped his hand away and glared at him.

"This has gotta be a lie! It has to be! You're all lying to me!" the twenty-seven-year-old shrieked. "Where is she?"

"She was a good person, Bobby, but you need to understand," Lili interposed, stepping in front of him, "that she's dead."

"Where is she?" Bobby seethed, snatching her red and teal vest. He heaved his fellow Psychonaut to his face, snarling through his overbite and hissed, "Tell me."

"Hey! Let her go, Bobby!" Raz ordered, snatching his arm and pulling him away from Lili.

"If I don't get the answer I want in five seconds, this room is gonna be set on fire!" Bobby shrieked, enflaming his hands.

Finally tired of the charade, Sasha stood up from his desk. Bobby glared down at him, being slightly taller. Sasha adjusted his glasses as he set his cigarette out in a nearby ashtray. Solemnly, he told Bobby to follow him, and the blue-skinned Psychonaut did, fists still burning. He quietly guided Bobby throughout the halls of the Psychonauts H.Q., hearing a few whispers along the way wondering why his fists were on fire. He followed Sasha downstairs, noticing that the doors were becoming fewer and fewer as they descended. When they reached the very bottom, he noticed Sasha was pausing in front of a door, and Bobby read the label, eyes widening.

**Infirmary**

**Morgue to the left upon entrance**

"There's no way. No freakin' way," Bobby whispered, and he could only watch as Sasha entered and went left. "Sasha, no."

"Don't worry. Her body was recently recovered, so she has not been moved to the morgue. Her mother and father have been informed, but they were not able to arrive. They believe they will arrive as soon as possible, meaning tomorrow." Sasha hesitated in front of a door, removing a master key from his coat pocket and unlocked it.

Bobby entered, eyes flickering about. The room was so disgusting he could have vomited. Pure white walls, sterilized to the point of even the air being purified and tasting of air fresheners. There were no windows, and the only source of light came from a flimsy light bulb being covered by a metal cylinder. All of the medical tools had been removed from the room, and all of the equipment had been shut off. He felt like he was in the aftermath of a torture room, even though the room was clearly meant to save, not kill.

Yet, his eyes drifted down to the center of the room. He crossed the light blue tiles to a matching cot. The blanket covered the body completely, but he could still see the tips of the pink bow her mother gave her. He trembled, hands losing their burning touch as he reached out, but he found himself gazing at her chest. Splotches of red bled through, and he gently placed his knuckles against the fabric, feeling it was still slightly wet. She had died so recently.

"Sasha, please."

"I'm sorry, Agent Zilch," Sasha reiterated, arms behind his back. "Most of us knew how you felt. Wait, what are you doing?"

One would have called his actions disrespectful to the dead. Yet, Bobby could not resist the heinous tug of what he would do. He snatched the blanket, heaving it over and chucked it to the floor, and his mouth fell open when he saw her.

Chloe's mouth was a tiny gape, and her eyes, once large, violet, and filled with intellect, were dulled and blank. No light shown in her eyes, and crusted blood coated at the edges of her lips, seeming to have been drooling the crimson liquid briefly before death took her. Her blonde hair was frazzled as if someone yanked her out off her feet from her bow. She was dressed in her regular, Psychonauts attire of an orange, opened vest, knee-high black boots, matching pants, and a purple shirt with the Psychonauts logo just above her right breast with light green sleeves. Yet, her shirt had been violently ripped open with blood coating the Psychonauts logo. The wound had been covered with a bandage, but it was already too late.

"What happened? How the hell did this happen?" Bobby screamed, whirling around to Sasha before turning back to her and wiping his wet eyes. "No, no, this isn't right. This can't be her. Y-yeah, this is a joke. Lili and Raz, they're always playing tricks on-"

Sasha grabbed his shoulder, halting his delusional rant. He stared at Sasha's grim expression, paling completely when Sasha shook his head. Sasha explained how it happened. When they separated, she had been ambushed. The attacker rushed her from behind, using invisibility and had the ability to hide his emotions so that not even a powerful empath like Chloe could sense her. Evidently, she had no time to react when the knife dug straight through her stomach and intestines, effectively making her death ruled out as internal bleeding. By the time help reached her, she was already at death's door.

Bobby turned back to Chloe, dropping to both knees and stared at his girlfriend in disbelief. One memory rushed through his mind: their last conversation together.

"_You're going?"_

_Bobby paused, placing his black vest on over his dark brown, ripped-at-the-sleeves shirt. He smiled at his girlfriend who was leaning against their doorframe with a curious look. It was three in the morning, far too early for either to be awake. However, duty called. Bobby had just been called in to assist Agents Aquato and Zanotto with a rescue mission involving children._

_Chloe sighed, shaking her head. "Well, they could've at least called you in the morning."_

_He smirked, wrapping his arm around her neck. "Aw, don't fret, babe. I'll be fine."_

"_You know what today is, right?"_

"'_Course I do. It's our…" He quickly counted his fingers behind his back. "…eleventh year anniversary of dating." At her slightly despondent expression, he leaned down, cupping her cheek and kissed her gently. Pulling away, he murmured, "Don't worry. I've got ya something special, but I'll let ya see it when I come back tonight, okay?"_

_Chloe sighed lightly, crossing her and smirked up to him. "Fine. That sounds acceptable. I guess I will be cooking you the anniversary dinner?"_

"_We both know I try my best, but you cook way better than I do. All I can do is microwave stuff or follow instructions on the back of a cake mix." Bobby frowned, glancing down at his glowing shorts pocket and removed his communicator. "Eh, it's Lili. She's getting antsy."_

"_Well, I do have to investigate that crime scene once more today by myself."_

"_You want me to come as backup?"_

_She shook her head, smiling. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. Besides, I'm a detective."_

"_You're also my Space Princess." Kissing her forehead, he added, "See ya, babe."_

"_See you when you come back, Bobby. I love you."_

_He grinned. "I love ya, too."_

_With those parting words, he teleported to the Psychonauts H.Q. He had no idea that would be his final conversation with her._

"After you had left at three in the morning, Chloe left to perform her duty around ten in the morning. She arrived at the deserted crime scene a few minutes after ten when she was attacked. Her attacker is still on the loose."

"Who is he? Tell me the fucker's name!" Bobby shrieked, shooting to his feet and snatching his jacket.

Sasha grimaced. "We're receiving reports tomorrow."

"I don't got time to wait! I want this bastard dead!"

"Agent Zilch, please, calm yourself. It's unsightly to act this way in front of her corpse."

"Don't say it's her corpse." Bobby shook, clenching his dark jade jacket tightly. "You don't get it, Sasha. This day was going to be perfect."

Sasha removed his hands from his jacket, placing them at Bobby's side as the older man's teeth chattered. When Bobby covered his face and uttered a sharp hiccup, he patted his shoulder, trying to comfort him, but he could only watch as Bobby crassly stuffed his hand back into his pocket and removed something. It was a small, velvet box that Bobby quietly gazed at, tears slipping down his cheeks. He opened it, revealing a small, diamond ring with light blue sapphires at the edges on a silver band.

"An engagement ring," Sasha mused as the realization hit him. "When, if you don't mind me asking, were you going to propose?"

"T-tonight," he stuttered, wiping his eyes with one hand and clutching the box with the other. "It was something I planned on. I-it was gonna go off without a hitch. She was gonna say yes, I know she was!"

"Bobby, I am so sorry. I cannot understand your pain, but I know loss. I want you to know-Bobby?" Sasha cut himself off when Bobby quietly slipped the ring onto her finger. "Bobby, you can't do that."

"You don't get it. When we talked a while ago, she said that whenever I proposed, she would agree. Chloe knew how love-struck I was, so she was always waiting for me to make a move, but this time it's too late!" Bobby uttered sharp, wailing cry, dropping back down to his knees. All he could do know was sob. He waited far too long to ask for her to marry him, and now, even though he knew her answer, he would never see that special reaction anyone receives when they ask their love to marry them. He had treasured the moment in his head, wanting to see her delighted expression and even the shock when he popped the question.

It was just too late.

"Wait. Wait, please! Stop, stop, it already-I can't even walk anymore!"

Bobby stared down at the mangled man before him. He had tracked down Chloe's killer, stealing the data from the Psychonauts and making himself a wanted man. He had gone rogue when he learned the Psychonauts were only going to imprison him. No, this man deserved something far more than just living a carefree life behind bars.

His legs had been broken in too many ways to out. Bobby wondered that if with one more twist they would detach from his hips and fall off. Bobby mashed his fingers and broke his arms, effectively smashing in his ribs with his steel-toed boots that he "borrowed" from Raz. Blood coated his face, and his nose had been broken, causing blood to gush down. His name was Raphael Di Leone, an infamous serial killer who targeted young girls. He had a sick mentality, usually playing torturous mind games before killing them brutally. For Chloe, he just killed her on the spot and left fingerprints, which would lead to his downfall.

"Do you remember this place?" Bobby inquired, pointing to the abandoned home around them. "This is where you killed the only girl I loved right in this spot. Look."

Raphael did, finding himself in a drawn chalk-outline. He was position in the same way of how Chloe fell with her back on the ground. Bobby knelt down by him, removing a sharp, kitchen knife from his boot. Raphael gasped, eyes widening as Bobby cut open his jacket, ignoring his begging along the way. Bobby smirked, placing the tip of the blade just beneath his stomach and over his intestines.

"This is where you stabbed her and ended her life. Don't worry. Even if I leave fingerprints…" Bobby licked his lips, madness swirling in his small, discolored eyes. "…I'll burn your body to a crisp, and don't worry, no one will find me."

Bobby shot the blade deep into Raphael, smirking at his high-pitched squeals. He dug around, leaving in the blade for a moment before making a quick circle with his wrist, cutting out a portion of his flesh when he removed the knife. He chuckled lightly, watching Raphael gasp and pant for breath. Blood ran down his trousers and light green skin like how Chloe bled. Still, he felt he was not suffering enough. Deciding to cover his tracks sooner than later, Bobby reached out and placed one hand to his temple, grinning wickedly down to him,

A sharp flame quickly encased Raphael, and his screams were simply delicious. Bobby smirked, watching as he feebly attempted to bat the flames off his chest, but they devoured him. Orange and red consumed the murderer, burning away at his flesh and melting it to a charred, inky black. Raphael screamed and wailed, and Bobby felt his suffering had been excelled to just what he deserved. For added measure, Bobby set fire to some nearby curtains, and he quickly teleported out of the home.

Levitating in the air outside, Bobby watched in sick satisfaction as the home and man burned. He smiled, sitting cross-legged in the air and watched as the people in the homes below struggled and shrieked. He waited for a few moments, hiding among the clouds. He grinned wickedly to himself and stared up at the sky before glancing down at his finger, finding the same engagement ring he gave to Chloe on her deathbed. Kissing it, Bobby flew away from the madness, knowing exactly what would happen if he stuck around for too long and decided that it would be best to leave the world before the Psychonauts discovered the truth.


	24. Bedtime

Silly, cute fic to make up for the recent angst. Commence bed snuggles.

Psychonauts © Double Fine

Bedtime

"How did you get in my home?"

"Window was open. Levitated in," Bobby explained, turning to her with a smile. "Miss me?"

She rolled her eyes, adjusting the pale pink bow in her blonde, nape-length hair. "It has only been a week since camp ended. I'm surprised you didn't just call."

"What fun is there in callin' when I can pop over whenever I want?" Bobby inquired, sitting up and looked around her room. "Lotsa purple and pink colors in here."

Her room was decorated with light lavender walls and pink curtains. Blueprints hung tacked on her walls, displaying her designs for spaceships and possible aliens. Her bed was made of soft linens and dark purple and blue sheets with a circular pillow in shape of the moon. Bobby had to grin at the little dress on her bed with white stars that he assumed was what she wore to bed. He was delighted to find the floor with a soft, white, plush fur coating the ground when he nestled his toes against the ground.

"My room was designed by me. Is it different from earthling standards?"

He shook his head. "Nah. A human's room is his own private place."

"Ah, like his own sector of the spaceship."

"Uh, yeah. So, you don't mind me crashing here, right?"

"As in, staying for the evening?" Chloe shook her head. "I do not have anything to do. Jupiter's moons were supposed to reveal themselves tonight, but it seems I read their orbit wrong. I was going to watch them through my telescope-" She pointed over to a telescope that was twice her size leaning by the window, and Bobby wondered how he missed that. "-but that chance will come again. Does your mother know you're here?"

"I told 'er I was visiting a friend. Besides, Mom's working late tonight at the clinic."

"Oh, right, she is a nurse. How long has she been one?" she questioned, opening her closet and digging through her clothing.

"Hm, well, she was a nurse before I was born, but she quit when she got pregnant. When Dad left, Mom got her old job back because, well, we needed money to pay bills." The twelve-year-old glanced down at his toes, sighing.

"Why did your father leave?"

"None of your business," he snapped before catching himself. "I-I mean, they just…fell out of love or something and divorced."

Chloe turned back to him, a confused expression on her light orange face before presenting Bobby with the gaudiest thing he had ever seen. It was a bright, hot pink bathrobe his size with blue and purple stars on it. Chloe gestured back to the window, exposing the night sky with the moon already high into the air before pointing to her alarm clock on a nearby, metal desk.

"You arrived at nearly midnight," Chloe recalled. "When I realized my error about Jupiter's moons, I was about to go to bed when you opened my window and greeted me and then decided to lie down on my bed."

"Well, it's a long-ass trip from Missouri to Boston. Hitchhiking was something I couldn't do since nobody picked me up, so I ran on my levitation ball all the way." He paused. "Except for that part when I floated in the air using that tornado current and jumped on that hot air balloon in New York."

"Wait, you travelled several thousands of miles to see me?" She quirked an eyebrow, dumbfounded at his explanation.

A blush matching his red eye streaked across his cheeks, scratching his head uncertainly. "Uh, y-yeah. Nothin' to do in Missouri, and my school doesn't start for another week. I just wanted to see how you were doing. Besides, I thought you might've missed your best friend from camp."

At his leer and confident smirk, Chloe grinned back, cocking her head. "And who proclaimed you as my best friend?"

"I did 'cause I'm greedy." Bobby's attention was drawn back to the garment in her arms. "What's that for?"

"Do you think you're sleeping in my bed with regular clothing? You'll have to change into this."

Bobby gawked at the mere idea of wearing that atrocious, blindingly pink garb. He thought of anything to argue back with, but his mind went blank as Chloe suddenly pulled him off her bed and fitted the bathrobe around him, leaving it untied. He stood there blankly as Chloe telekinetically stripped him of his jersey and ripped, patched pants and placed them in a bin before tying the light cherry robe together.

"There. You look nice," Chloe admitted, grinning as Bobby fumed.

"This is so stupid and girly and dumb," he growled, pulling at the gingerly warm fabric.

"It's either this or you sleep on the floor."

Bobby looked down at the inviting, plush floor and smirked. "This ain't too hard to debate. Fine, I'll wear it, but I don't hafta like it."

Rolling her eyes as Bobby made himself comfortable in her bed, effectively curling the warm comforters around himself, Chloe grabbed her nightgown. Catching Bobby's following eyes through a crack in the blankets, she frowned and slid into the closet, narrowing her eyes at him as she shut the door to change. Bobby hit himself in the forehead, mentally berating himself for acting so stupid.

_I don't blame your voyeurism, Bobby, solely on you. I find that issue a problem with this whole race, _Chloe thought, overhearing him.

_Oh, right! You're a telepath. Anyway, sorry, I, um, didn't mean to-_

_It is fine. No harm has been done. We'll share my bed tonight. Tomorrow, I will introduce you to my parental units._

_Wait, share your bed? As in, sleep tonight? In one bed? _

_Affirmative._

Chloe emerged from the closet, her feet pattering against the floor. Bobby glanced over to her, trying to not stare too much. She was far cuter than he had imagined in her knee-length nightgown with the pale pink color matching her bow. Undoing her bow, she carefully set it down on the table and crawled into bed. Turning to say good night, she found Bobby was facing the wall.

"Are you okay?" she whispered. "Is this normal for you?"

"Uh, th-this is my, uh, ya know, f-first time sharing a b-bed with a girl," Bobby stammered before feeling something heavy lean onto him. "Uh, what are you-?"

Chloe pulled his shoulder, forcing him to lie on his back. She curled up to his shoulder, placing her head onto his chest and stated, "Since your head is using up the majority of my pillow due to your-" She yawned, eyes sliding half-way shut. "-tumor-like hair, I will be using your chest as a makeshift pillow. Do you have any objections?"

"N-no," he weakly replied before grinning. Very hesitantly, he wrapped his free hand around her waist, averting her curious, tired gaze and quickly added, "Night."

"Good night," she mumbled before closing her eyes.

Waiting until she was asleep, Bobby grinned. "I guess the bathrobe ain't so bad at all…"


	25. Music Drabbles

I was searching through my dA and found that I had a few BobbyChloe snippets! Most of them are based off of the music challenge where you keep writing until the song stops. Hope you enjoy them!

Music Drabbles

I Made It (Cash Money Heroes)

Bobby Zilch was a punk where he was from. He had poor grades, an even worse family with all the abuse he was forced through by his drunken mother, and the Psychonauts thought of him as worthless. He was a no one, especially in the eyes of Ford, Sasha, and Oleander.

Boy, their faces were priceless when he came to Whispering Rock the next year with even greater psychic abilities, becoming a full-fledged Psychonaut one year after.

Now at twenty, Bobby was one of the top Psychonauts. Even Truman Zanotto praised him, giving him many medals and awards. He still kept in touch with Benny who was still training to be a Psychonaut, and Bobby sometimes visited Whispering Rock over the summer to help the campers. Of course, they were suspicious since he was the camp bully, but saving lives had an effect on Bobby.

Truman called him a hero. Benny called him the best. Yet, what he loved the most was seeing Chloe graduating a few years after him. They had partners for the year, growing closer, and he helped her come to terms that she was a human, and they started going out.

For Bobby, life was grand.

Take that, Dad, he thought victoriously.

"Bobby?"

He turned down to Chloe, donning the same Psychonauts uniform as him.

"Are you ready to go?"

He grinned, wrapping his arm around her as they boarded Truman's private jet. "Sure am, Chloe, sure am."

The Lonely Island: Natalie's Rap

To Bobby's surprise, Chloe's favorite genre of music was gangster rap. He thought she would like something rather calming, quiet, not a bunch of nonsensical voices being warped together to try to rhyme. When he found Chloe with a CD player, he found her listening to various rappers, all "singing" about murder, "capping" people, cheating, drugs, and other stuff that little girls should not be listening to.

"So…uh…this is what ya like?" he asked, somewhat dumbfounded.

"Affirmative," Chloe replied tersely, continuing to listen to her CD.

"Wow. You're…a lot cooler than I thought."

Marcin Mrozinski: Legenda

She was precious to him. That was it. Chloe was a precious, incredible girl. She listened to him, let him talk about whatever he wanted, and she listened. Bobby was grateful for that, having kept most of his true emotions inside, but Chloe let him talk about anything his heart desired.

Of course, Bobby felt attached to her. The moment he met her, something clicked in his mind. Chloe was different from other girls, and Bobby wanted to, surprisingly, keep her safe. He staked his life when he rescued her from those bears and cougars when she went too far out into the forest. He knew that her powers of a psychic were broken, so Bobby would do his best to train her in order to protect her.

Chloe meant more than torturing fish. Meant more than the stupid camp itself. Her happiness and safety became his goal, and Bobby would risk his life to make sure that Chloe was protected and happy, no matter what he had to give up.


	26. Fifty Sentences IV

Fifty more sentences! Now with minor ClemCrystal.

Psychonauts © Double Fine

1. Ring

"So, uh, w-will you, ya know, um…" Before he could stammer through his request, Chloe had already put the ring on her finger.

2. Hero

In most cases, people would characterize Bobby as a villain for his actions; Chloe would disagree and argue that while not a hero, Bobby was more of chaotic good type of boy.

3. Memory

Having no memory of her real parents, Chloe imagined several guesses of what they could look like.

4. Box

Bobby could not bring himself to tell her that her cardboard box was not suitable for space travel.

5. Run

Each step brought safety closer as Bobby's legs furiously slammed against the leaves below him as the cougar continued chasing them, and what made matters worse was his fleeing partner Chloe shouting at him for disturbing her cubs by nudging one with his toe.

6. Hurricane

"How did you cause this?" Bobby inquired as the storm rampaged through his hometown, looking down to the little girl with the controller in hand.

7. Wings

A Psychonaut levitating was like a bird flying, so losing one's concentration would bring them to a staggering fall, and newly recruited, blushing, and giddy Agent Zilch was having that problem with his girlfriend cuddling against his chest as he flew through the clouds.

8. Cold

"We're in a _summer_ camp! It shouldn't be snowing!" Chloe proclaimed at the illogicalness of the snowfall pelting down from the sky, but she stopped herself after noticing Bobby leaping out the cabin window and running around in it like a little kid playing with his present.

9. Red

Knife plunged deeply into his chest, Chloe could only wonder how a human could have so much blood spilling from his wound.

10. Drink

With a slurred voice and boggled mind, the drunken Psychonaut curled against Chloe's lap and mewled like a cat as Chloe continued to jab her knuckles into his temple exasperatedly.

11. Midnight

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Bobby asked, approaching Chloe as she intently gazed at the stars through her telescope.

12. Temptation

When the desire to know what she truly looked like became maddening, Bobby flipped her helmet off of her head, but she was quick to retaliate with a sharp kidney shot.

13. View

For the most part, his main reason for coming to help Chloe search the stars at night was because of the beautiful view right in front of him.

14. Music

Bobby quietly kept his eyes on the road with a disturbed expression as Chloe rapped along to the violent lyrics with inappropriate hand gestures.

15. Silk

His hair was far from being socially acceptable with the scratchy feel, but it was a nice place to hide a few of her things.

16. Cover

When Chloe was ready to admit that she caused one of the GPC pods to explode, she was stunned when Bobby suddenly stood up and proclaimed that he was the culprit.

17. Promise

"Don't forget to swing by if yer ever in my neighborhood," Bobby softly requested, eyes downcast as Chloe held onto her suitcase by her mother's car.

18. Dream

Their ideals were differing in distinct ways: he wanted to be a Psychonaut to keep the world safe, and she wanted to be a Psychonaut to find a way to leave the world.

19. Candle

"Romantic," she mused with a smile as Bobby sheepishly smiled and presented her the candlelit tabletop and fancy dinner he made.

20. Talent

Thirteen-year-old Chloe was very lucky that her main psychic power was telepathy since it allowed her to listen to every thought Bobby had about her and Crystal's large chest size; with this knowledge, she frequently found ways to remind Bobby of his embarrassing thoughts whenever he one-upped her.

21. Silence

There was no noise in space except for the booming rap music coming from their spaceship.

22. Journey

"So, how long until we reach Zwicky's Triplet?" Bobby inquired, and when she replied that it would be around three months in their spaceship, Bobby was thankful he stole all of those snacks from the grocery store.

23. Fire

"Oops," Chloe muttered as Bobby's afro flared up, and he proceeded to scream his head off and run around in circles.

24. Strength

It did not take psychical power to be strong, but it came in handy when you had to carry your girlfriend a minefield.

25. Mask

Being a bully was what others saw him as; around her, he could be himself.

26. Ice

They laugh as their particle ray blasts through the polar ice caps, and teenaged Clem wonders why he hangs out with them.

27. Fall

Losing her balance meant certain death in her first time in Basic Braining, and she was relieved when Bobby offered to carry her up the ropes.

28. Forgotten

Years later after she had found her true home, Chloe wondered if Bobby remembered her.

29. Dance

Even with the lessons her mother had her take, she was just as awkward as ever on the dance floor, but that was okay because so was he.

30. Body

"One day, one day, Crystal, I swear, my chest will be just as fine as yours," Chloe growls, eye level with the older teen's ample bosom.

31. Sacred

"No one touches my baby!" the twenty-year-old shouted as he blocked Clem from driving his precious truck as Chloe sipped a slurpee in the front seat.

32. Farewells

He hadn't expected her departure into space to be as heartbreaking when he watched until the fog dissipated,

33. World

"You know, if I never find my real home, staying here would be all right if it meant I'd be able to still spend and waste time with you."

34. Formal

Dressed in a black tuxedo with a brown tie and polished shoes, Bobby felt like a butler monkey as he followed his pink-clad agent into the party to spy on the Italian mafia.

35. Fever

"I told ya going out at three in the mornin' would get ya sick," Bobby snapped, taking the temperature out of her mouth as the fourteen-year-old moaned and curled up on his lap.

36. Laugh

His mocking jeers were contagious it seemed when she joined in as they watched the cougar chase Nils through the forest.

37. Lies

"Why can't you tell me the truth about your father? You're always hiding your past from me! This isn't fair, Bobby!" Chloe cried as Bobby cringed, wishing they had never started fighting over his prior time as camp bully.

38. Forever

Being a Psychonaut meant staking one's life on the mental battlefield for as long as he or she could; for Bobby and Chloe, they found that term to be quite literal as their bloody hands managed to grasp each other's before their final breaths were taken.

39. Overwhelmed

"Boys," Chloe and Crystal grumbled as they watched their boyfriends fanboy over the latest video game.

40. Whisper

The young adult nuzzled into her neck, smiling lightly and murmured, "Space Princess, you've got such a nice softness to yer skin."

41. Wait

"I know you and Clem want to run off to fanboy about the latest RPG together, but you have to fix the showerhead first," Chloe ordered, and when Bobby asked why she couldn't do it, she frowned and added, "Because Crystal and I have to fangirl over the latest pop band and which member of said pop band has the cutest butt. She teaches me the ways of the internet."

42. Talk

Sometimes, when she rambled on for too long, Bobby lifted her helmet off her head and kissed her to shut her up.

43. Search

"We're never gonna find them in this weather! This is impossible!" Clem shouted over the roaring winds, but Bobby punched him in the shoulder, snapping, "You wanna find Crystal, and I wanna find Chloe, and I'll go through any goddamn storm to find her, so shut the hell up, beaver!"

44. Hope

Sitting in the hospital, Chloe prayed to the earth deity that his imploded stomach would quickly heal from the monster that attacked them.

45. Eclipse

"Heh, if you were on some other world, you'd never got a chance to see somethin' as awesome as this!" Bobby gushed as they gazed at the blinding light through their shadowy visors.

46. Gravity

"Fuck logic. I'm Bobby Zilch," Bobby stated as he flew around in space, dumbfounding Chloe.

47. Highway

They were the only vehicle in the bumper to bumper traffic with gangster rap blasting.

48. Unknown

She always felt an odd, foreboding feeling in her chest whenever it came to imagining the future life she could lead in space, but on the earthlings' world, she was safe and sound with a blue hand wrapped around her shoulder and a lopsided, grotesque smile beaming down at her.

49. Lock

"…Why are you wearing a chastity belt…? Better yet, where's the freakin' key to this thing?"

50. Breathe

"If you two keep making out like this, you'll get oxygen-starved," Clem sneered, and Chloe, red-faced along with her boyfriend, retorted, "I can say the same thing for you and Crystal over there."


	27. Final Moments

A short something I thought of last night based off of Fifty Sentences IV's Forever.

Final Moments

He sputtered, nearly vomiting blood on the dirt beneath. Agent Zilch had seen so many better days than this one. Today was probably going to be the last day of his life. He could barely keep his glossy vision straight, especially with the mocking laughter of his opponent above him. Squinting, Bobby held onto his wounded stomach, knowing the internal bleeding would definitely be the death of him. Yet, he needed just another moment to hang on.

"So, you two are some of the Psychonauts' best agents? I've seen better in my day," Raphael Di Leone sneered, levitating over Bobby. He had been battered and bruised, but he was not broken. Despite his fractured ribs and twisted ankles, he was still kicking far more than Bobby was at the moment. "Agents Zilch and Barge, could of pathetic if you ask me. I mean, c'mon. I've read about you two in True Psychic Tales. One of the best levitators and telepaths the Psychonauts have, and you two still couldn't-!"

The bullet shot straight through his neck, voice garbled and choked. Pinching at his throat, Raphael managed to catch sight of Agent Barge dropping a handgun before her pale, bloody arm slumped to the ground. Without another sound, he collapsed feet away from Bobby.

He smirked, chapped lip caught as he managed to crawl a few feet nearer to the love of his life. "N-nice shot."

Chloe, dressed in the same Psychonauts uniform as Bobby, managed a grimacing smirk. "I'm glad it was…just a clean shot…"

He collapsed back onto his stomach as Chloe rolled onto her back. Their breathing came in heavy, short pants as their injuries got the best of them. Raphael was a master of voodoo. He had created dolls in their images with organs to boot. Crushing the voodoo Bobby's stomach actually caused the real Bobby's stomach to implode. For Chloe, he had smashed her liver and parts of her intestines. They wondered how they were still alive with the massive internal bleeding they were suffering through with their gazes hazy and strength fading too quickly for comfort.

"Hey."

Bobby grunted, sending her a confused look as she managed to lift up her hand and caressed his pale, nearly colorless cheek.

"No one's…going to come for us, right?"

"Too bad…the freak destroyed our communicators. H-heh, woulda had somebody save our sorry asses i-if the lock-on s-signals still worked." Bobby smiled lightly, leaning into her touch. "Least I don't gotta w-worry about ya."

"What's…that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, ya know…" His shoulders gave a feeble half-shrug. "…I'm glad I a-ain't alone through this. We're gonna d-die, huh?"

"It seems like…" Chloe coughed rather violently, nearly sputtering on her blood and saliva. Covering her mouth, she glared at the concoction of coppery crimson and pale white fluids before wiping her hand on her shirt. "…well, I have n-no idea if w-we can be saved. Our i-internal organs b-blew up. It's a m-miracle we're still alive in itself."

"Yeah, I'm…I'm getting fuzzy-headed."

She smirked despite the grim situation and weakly pat to his afro. "You are fuzzy-headed."

A slight blush crossed is nearly pallid face, the same sappy grin spreading across his cheeks. He had never lost that goofy grin that endeared only to Chloe. With a free hand, he took Chloe's and held it between them, chuckling slightly. When she inquired to be let in on the joke, Bobby struggled to move closer to her, his hip giving a slight crack as he closed to gap between them. Coming eye level to her, Bobby pressed his lips to her forehead, lips becoming even bloodier from the gash that spread from her left temple down to her left ear.

"G-guess dyin' ain't gonna be s-so bad. I'm n-not alone. You're here." He smiled, feeling the pain in his body ebb away and knew his life would be over soon. "Not…not so bad. I had a great life with ya. Fun, lots of fun. Happy times, too."

She noticed he was slipping with the softer tone to his voice, a quiet panic spreading through her cold body. Her shaky grip tightened around his fingers and palm, not wanting to let go until her conscious finally faded. Feeling her meager fingers curl around his hand once more, Bobby's squinting eyes fluttered briefly there and wound his fingers through her own. They smiled again, light grips touching their bloodied lips as they leaned forward, placing one final, chaste kiss upon each other. Chloe's throat clogged again, making her voice inaudible as she tried to speak. Giving up, she mouthed three treasured words that Bobby beamed at in his last moments and mouthed back before his eyes shut for good. Weakly, she nudged her other hand to his chest, finding his heartbeat nearly gone. Wherever he was going, she was destined to lead the way for him as always, just like when they were children. Curling into her boyfriend's broad shoulder, her violet eyes closed forever with the serene image of his smiling face implanted into her mind.


	28. Pin Letter

Oops, I done OTPed again.

Psychonauts © Double Fin

Pin Letter

_Oh, my God, shut up, _Bobby absentmindedly thought to himself as he listened to Coach Oleander's lecture on confusion grenades.

He had heard the lecture four times already. He already had his confusion badge, but Oleander forced him to "sit down and shut up" and that he "might learn something of value." Yet, Bobby had already memorized Oleander's many speeches and tried to occupy himself from falling asleep by picking at the wooden, rusty floorboards with his toes. He and Benny were sitting in their usual spot on the rounded couch attached to the wall, and Benny looked equally bored, his head leaning against the wall with his eyes nearly shutting. Bobby gazed around the room, finding Chloe in her usual spot as she tinkered with Oleander's radio, and a light, hazy smile crossed his face as he watched her.

_What'cha thinkin' about, boss?_

Benny's thought cut through his concentration, making him jerk his head over to his younger, so-called "friend." _Huh? Nothing. Just trying to keep myself from falling asleep over. I've already heard this so many times! Guess what Oleander's gonna say next._

_Um, I dunno. What?_

'_With this confusion grenade, when aimed properly, you can hit them, and they will be in a momentary daze and have no idea of themselves of their surroundings.'_

"With this confusion grenade, when aimed properly, you can hit them, and they will be in a momentary daze and have no idea of themselves of their surroundings," Oleander informed, holding the confusion grenade high above his head as the rest of the campers watched, some in fascination.

Benny snorted on nearly silent laughter as Bobby rolled his eyes, figuring that the rest of the speech would go on for a few more minutes. Then, they would all be dragged back into his mind to play a game called "Dodge Grenade," which was just like dodgeball, but with confusion grenades, and if you were hit, you would become confused, step on a landmine, be ejected back to the real world. Having gotten his badge at nine, Bobby wondered if he would have to retake the course when something shot into his afro.

Benny's scarlet eyes shot over to his boss, perplexity crossing his worried gaze. Annoyed, Bobby reached up, hand brushing through his afro before his fingers brushed against rough wood. Gripping the object, Bobby ripped it out and quirked a dumbfounded eyebrow as Benny leaned over since he was snooping as usual.

It was a simple, wooden pin like the kind his mother would use to hang up laundry outside. However, what attracted Bobby's attention was the intricately detailed and drawn letter at the end with red lining and white for the body. In a black marker, the words, "You have a message" were scrawled carefully and without a single smudge. Squeezing the pin, the sides parted, cracking the drawn envelope open, and when he read the words, he quickly turned from Benny before he could see it and smiled to himself.

Fascinated, Benny watched in a fit of shock when Bobby pulled out a pink marker from his afro. Before he could ask, the bully shot him a fiery glower, instantly silencing him, and Benny was quick to avert his gaze before lazily resting his head against the wall and drifted off. Flipping the pin over, he drew a similar envelope and returned his admirer's words. Raising his telekinetic hand with the pin, he carefully placed the pin down by her desk and eagerly waited, nearly dancing in his seat from excitement.

She picked it up, ready to open it when Oleander snatched it clean out of Chloe's hands.

_Dammit! _Bobby mentally screamed as Oleander snapped at her to sit down with the group.

Chloe grumbled underneath her breath, trudging over towards Bobby and sat to his right. "I'll take it you enjoyed my message?"

"Heh, w-well, it made my day," he admitted, smiling goofily.

"Well, Bobby, Chloe, since you two like to send pins flying through the air during my class…" Oleander held the pin in question, making their eyes widen in dumbfounded surprise. "…let me read to everyone else what you two wrote!"

Before either could protest, Oleander squeezed the pin, squinting his good eye to read it. Brief disbelief flickered across his weathered face before jerking his head over to Chloe and flipped the pin over, reading the back. Glancing over to Bobby as Nils asked to know what they wrote, Oleander cleared his throat.

"I had no idea Bobby was capable of feeling anything besides stupidity," he admitted, throwing the pin back to Chloe. "Keep your notes to yourselves, and don't interrupt my class again!" 

"Yes, coach," they blandly replied with Bobby sticking his tongue out the moment Oleander returned to his discussion on the destructive forces of the grenade.

_So, did ya, um, read what I wrote? C-cause I really liked what you wrote, _Bobby asked, a nervous smile coming to his face.

_Not yet, _Chloe answered, pinching the pin to read what he wrote. "Well, this is original. All you did was reiterate what I wrote."

"But it's the truth, ain't it?" He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, still beaming as Chloe rolled her eyes.

As they spoke about Chloe's latest design for a spaceship, Benny leaned over and snatched the discarded pin. Deciding to read it for himself, his eyes went very wide, and he nearly lost his composure over the startling realization.

_I love you, earth primate._

_I love you, space princess._

"You like Chloe?" Benny blurted in disbelief, attracting the attention of the entire class.

Benny was soon nursing a bruised jaw for a week straight.


	29. Fugitive

Psychonauts © Double Fine

Fugitive

_Don't let her get away!_

_She's moving down the alleys! Someone get a lock-on!_

_She's invisible! Can anyone find her?_

_Not yet, sir!_

_Well, keep looking! She can't be that far._

She panted silently, keeping her breathing as silent as possible. Even though she was invisible, Chloe knew that she would not be able to keep that up forever. If she could evade the agents for a few more minutes, she would definitely be able to make it back to her underground hideout. She sucked down on her jaw, wounding her dark blue jacket around her waist to reveal a light pink tank top underneath even though she was still invisible. The twenty-year-old quickly tussled her long and messy blonde hair, quickly retying it with her treasured pink bow before bursting out into the streets of New York without a care. With her levitation, Chloe flew over the traffic, still invisible as she frantically searched for her trackers.

The Psychonauts were after her. She knew that escaping them was a probability of at least twenty percent if she was careful, and that was something she was always revered for. Yet, she as so careless at the moment that she was speedily lowering her chances of escape when she landed on the other side of the crosswalk and nudged a uniformed agent. He quickly turned, snatching her in his telekinetic grip.

"I've got-!"

Turning visible, Chloe rammed her black boot into his crotch, effectively halting his cry. Darting off, she heard their voices molding together into a malignant conglomeration for her. Biting down on her slightly chapped lower lip, Chloe turned a corner and ran for a few more blacks. Her lungs burned, air hardly circulating as she automatically fled without her brain controlling her anymore. Survival was more important than breathing. She would retain her breath when she found herself in a favorable position, but even though she was now thirty blocks away from her pursuers, she decided to take a shortcut and ran into another alley.

It was the largest blunder she had ever made. Precision and keenness were her frequently abused skills that she used in a plethora of ways when it came to creating ships or telepathic radios with her high intellect. Yet, in her state of utter fright and paranoia, she ran right into one of the agents. To make matters worse, the agent towered over her with a hood covering his face, making his expression hard to determine with his fists clenched at his sides as he leered over her.

Chloe backed up against the wall, too dumbfounded to speak as a cold sweat dripped down her pale orange brow. Her fingers searched the bricks, trying to find something to snatch and throw, but that hope quickly faded when he placed one hand underneath her chin, fingers curling around her neck. Her teeth grit, trying to appear with a dignified semblance of bravery, but it was crushed with the swarming terror in her dark violet eyes.

"Got'cha," he sneered before flipping back his hood.

Her mouth fell, all traces of fear bursting forth as she leaned as far away as she could. "Bobby?"

"Hey, space princess. It's been a while." The twenty-five-year-old smirked, crossing his arms. "You've really outdone yourself, ya know? Totally pissed off the 'Nauts."

"You're not in uniform?" she questioned, still out of breath.

He shrugged, imitating her when he removed his hoodie and wrapped it around his waist to reveal a black muscle shirt that fit him perfectly. "Eh, ya know. I've never liked that crappy turtleneck. Way too itchy, but you know that."

"So, you're one of the agents that were assigned to capture me. I'm, well, shocked to say the least," Chloe admitted as Bobby crossed his arms, casually shifting his weight onto his left leg.

"I had nothing better to do. You know…" A small scowl crossed his once beamingly amused face. "…since you committed a felony against the Psychonauts, I couldn't overlook that, Chloe. Are you insane? Stealing technology to power your ship?"

Chloe sheepishly glanced at her feet, not wanting to continue the conversation when Bobby stated her name. "I'm not proud of it. I was desperate. I'm so close to completing my ship. I needed that last component, and they wouldn't give it to me, so I just snapped. I've been looking for my home for so long that I grew impatient. If the Psychonauts weren't going to give me what I needed, I'd take it."

"Which led up to today. Once they saw you stealing on the cameras, the higher-ups went apeshit. Chloe, no offense, but you are in deep shit."

"You're taking me in?"

Smirking when she glanced over to the left to the street, Bobby lightly slapped his hand to her cheek, preventing her from planning her escape when he simply stood up in her way. "Why would I do that, space princess? You've got things to answer. Remember?"

"Yes…yes, I remember."

"I wanna know why."

"Why what?"

He frowned, eyebrows furrowing as he trapped her against the wall, placing both of his slightly calloused hands by her ears. Whenever she glanced all around, all she could see was his leering, forebodingly poignant form. Chloe shrunk, too stupefied to speak as Bobby continued to gazing into her violet eyes, not once removing himself from her presence. She knew that he deserved answers for her less than reputable actions. What she did to him was too cruel to be forgiven especially since it involved ripping out his heart.

"I'm waiting."

"Bobby-"

"Why, Chloe?" His tone softened, but his features remained as hard as ever. "Why did you kick me out? Why did you kick me outta yer life?"

"You're asking why I broke up with you, is that it?"

"Of course. I want answers. You never gave me an answer. Did you even think about how much that'd hurt me? Finding all of your stuff out of our apartment? Finding a crappy note on our fridge that you were breaking up with me? Finding that you transferred stations in the Psychonauts to a science division that was so vague that it required special training that I never even heard of, and I couldn't see ya because I wasn't a technician? Finding out that you were stealing shit from the Psychonauts? Finding out that you were a fugitive? Ya ever think how much that would hurt me?" 

"Bobby-"

"No." He pressed his forehead against her own, hunching over as she trembled, wanting to desperately escape as he kissed her nose. "Your excuses. You can make 'em in a minute. I'm not done. I wanna know why you did this. Because of this spaceship thing? Because you wanted to go home? Well, what about me? You said we'd go together, and then this happens?" Breaking backwards, he gripped her shoulders, glaring at the trash-coated pavement, and when Chloe gave a soft, pained grunt, his fingers eased, but still kept a sturdy hold so she could not squirm away. "Talk. Start talking, Chloe. I wanna know why the hell you did this me."

Silence echoed. Bobby straightened, looking down at her, eyes somewhat misty and removed his hands, crossing his arms by his stomach. Chloe's boots suddenly became fascinating when her gaze averted away from him, finding them the pinnacle of her interest. She stole components from the Psychonauts to build her ship, but her relationship had already been jeopardized.

Two months ago, Chloe found the location of her supposed home without telling Bobby. She knew how he would react. He would beg and plead with her to stay with him, and she should have? That she debated with herself at the moment, but at the time, her excitement and terror grew. Excitement in the prospect of discovering her people, but terror at the mere thought of telling him. Bobby had always loved her since they were children, doting on her and believing in her theories, even encouraging her space travel. She even made accommodations to include him until she learned of how her people on Cygnus A viewed humans. They were just like how she viewed them as a child: uncivilized, violent, coarse primates. Bringing along Bobby would ruin her chances with her people! They would treat her awfully and cruelly if Bobby showed his face and destroyed her chances. Yet, she could not bring herself to tell him anything, so she did what she had to do by removing all of her belongings from their apartment of three years and cut off their ties. She did what she deemed necessary, no matter how much heartbreak she forced on herself and Bobby.

"There she is!"

"Agent Zilch, step away from the fugitive."

Bobby hesitated, staring at his fellow agents. Men and women, a quadrant on one end of alley and a matching one at the opening, were in position to strike. Chloe shook, her head still hanging. Bobby knelt, disobeying his superior officer and caused whispers to erupt. Most knew of their relationship as it was considered distracting for fellow agents to date (Agents Nein and Vodello were an exception).

"Agent Zilch, I will not repeat myself!" she barked, stepping forward. "Stand down."

"Chloe," Bobby urged quietly as she suddenly wiped her closed eyes, "talk to me, please. What did I do? _Was _it something I did? Whatever it was, I'm sorry. Can we please just talk about this? I can help you like I always have. It doesn't have to go down like you think it does."

"Agent Zilch!"

"Shut up!" he shouted, jerking his to her, instilling a speck of fright in her, but only a speck.

"Do not deter us from the mission. I got myself a babe to get home to, so if you don't mind moving, I can go home," another commanded, being of lower rank.

"I don't wanna hear it from you, Lutefisk," Bobby snarled, glaring over the Psychonauts' handsome playboy, "when you're cheating on that poor idiot Elka with your secretary."

Nils winced, saying nothing more.

She said something uncatchable, but Bobby heard the warbled mess. He gently asked for her to repeat herself when she looked up, making his own features, once entirely hard and cold, relax and drop to disbelief. He had never seen her cry before. The Chloe he knew was determined and stoic, expressing herself in all of her socially awkward charm. For her to actually cry was too much for him to tolerate, and his arms encircled her almost instantly after the initial shock died.

Her fist rapidly wiped at the tears falling down from her eyes, and she dropped to one knee, biting down on her other fist, too ashamed with herself to speak. She had given up on him, the only person to ever truly believe and love her, to chase down her dream. Losing Bobby meant losing a large part of her life. He had been there for so long, but Chloe thought she could start over on her world and leave him behind. The separation, she realized, would murder them. For Bobby to react so strongly with her sudden vanishing act in his life, Chloe came to terms with something important.

He loved and treasured her. She meant more to him than anyone. Losing herself would evoke such a loss in his heart, and he would not be able to function properly without her. After all, she still had to work on him. Without her, he would be a shell of the great man that he was toady.

She blurted everything out. That she found her home, what her people thought of earthlings, why she had to leave without saying goodbye, and seeing the somber horror on his face stabbed into her chest far worse than the humiliation of being surrounded by agents ready to take her in. When she had finished with her shrieks of reasoning, Chloe was red-faced and breathing heavily through her button nose with tears still streaking down her scarlet cheeks.

Bobby silently remained on the ground, too stupefied to speak. Scratching through his afro, he heaved a sigh through his perfectly straight teeth with some of them fake. Suddenly, Bobby very lightly shoved her head to the side, a displeased sulk tainting his face. As Chloe gazed at him with the same wide eyes she had as a child, Bobby stuffed his fingers into her and pinned her against the brick wall with them both sitting on the floor.

"That's one of the stupidest things you've ever said to me. I mean, ya say something crazy things, but that's insane," Bobby deadpanned, making her lopsidedly smile.

"B-Bobby, I-" When she pushed his fingers out of her mouth, she was ready to retort when he shoved his lips against her own, cutting off her protests. Her eyes widened even farther than before as he leaned in, preventing her from leaving him again, and her eyes grew half-lidded as he kissed her. Once Bobby pulled away, she stated, "I don't understand."

"Understand what?" He stood, grabbing her underarm and dragging her to her feet. "That you were gonna abandon me? Look, Chloe…" Pausing, Bobby glared evenly between the two groups of agents between them. "Do you guys fuckin' mind?"

"Agent Zilch, I will have you court-martialed!"

"And I'll gladly punch you in your flat tits," Bobby seethed, raising his fist at her. Grabbing Chloe's hand, he snapped, "I'll file a report about this later or something! Whatever! I better not see a flyer about me lurking around the office, got it? Sheesh! Dealing with you guys is almost as worse than dealing with my dad!"

With that, Bobby levitated, hoisting her into his arms. Before the agents could react, he shot off into the air, darting away at a break-neck pace. Bobby silently thanked his excelling levitation skills when he heard the faint screams of that vain woman before asking where Chloe was living.

"Huh?"

"Where are you living? It's not with me anymore so I don't know," Bobby growled, glaring dead ahead.

Tensing in his arms, Chloe crossed her sore legs and quietly replied, "Central Park. Underground. It's under a manhole."

"Oh, then I staked out the right place."

"You know where I've been hiding? If so, why didn't you come after me?"

"Well, I thought you hated me or something. Hold on tight." Bobby shot down towards the thick, emerald trees when her arms firmly wrapping around his neck. Landing next to the manhole, Bobby kicked it open with his foot and hopped inside before setting her down. "Not bad."

Chloe remained quiet, gazing at her creation without a shred of longing as she had done in the past. It was the perfect spaceship. Nothing was wrong with it. It would not explode and cause a nuclear reaction that would shift the planets like the ones that she designed as a little girl. She walked towards it, brushing her fingers against the frigid metal before finding Bobby at her side, also feeling the cold concoction of psitanium, diamond, steel, and every sort of metal she could conjure to make her masterpiece.

"Is everything packed in there?" he asked softly. "All of your belongings and the rest?"

"Yes."

"You were gonna run off without tellin' nobody?"

She tilted her head towards the ground, forehead tapping against the shuttle. "Yes."

"Not…not even me?" Bobby's throat constricted, trying to compose his misery when she merely nodded again. "Oh."

"Bobby, please-!"

"What?"

She paused. She had not actually thought of a sentence when she suddenly shouted. Opening her mouth again, Chloe kept it ajar for a moment, hoping something intelligent would come out. Yet, nothing did. She stood there like a mannequin until Bobby suddenly snapped his fingers in front of her nose, making her flinch and took an uncertain step back.

"Have you been living in here? There's nothing else down here 'cept for a lot of dark," Bobby wondered, gesturing around to the barren abode.

"Um, yes. Too be honest, it was unnerving. I've heard rumors of mutated alligators down."

"Heh, it _is_ New York. This place has all kinds of crazy stuff happenin' down here, but since you put up those things…" He pointed in both directions to metal walls with padlocks on them. "…nothing can come through."

She smiled slightly. "Unless they're psychic."

He smirked. "If they were psychic, you might be fucked." Leaning forward, he flicked her nose. "That is, you wouldn't be fucked if I was here, and you told me about this, and we could talk about this like 'civil' people. Level with me, Chloe. Are ya gonna go? I mean…" Bobby bit down on his lip as Chloe glanced at her feet. "…I don't want to stop ya. Your happiness is what I care about. I mean, yeah, I am pissed at you for doing all of this desperate, crazy shit behind my back. Anyone would be if they loved a person for so long, but you were anxious. Ya found your world and found out that they were human-hating scumbags, but still! Leaving me like that? Chloe, that note you wrote me was shit! I still have it!" He stuffed his hand into his pocket, taking out a crumpled sheet of notebook paper. "All you wrote was 'I found my world. I'm sorry, and thank you. I am breaking up with you because of reasons that you may not understand. I do love you.'"

Snatching the paper out of his hands, Chloe suddenly set the page on fire and dropped it. Smoke flew up between them as the paper burnt on the ground feet away. Before he could ask why she did it, Chloe pinned him against her shuttle and kissed him, hands gripping his cheeks urgently. Instead of pulling away like she expected from his volatile behavior, Bobby pulled her closer between his legs and dipped her head back for better access.

"I can't apologize. No matter how many times the words 'I'm sorry' leave me, it will never be enough. You love me, and I love you. These two months without you have been chaotic for me. I made insane decisions, and I put myself in the Psychonauts' firing path, and I hurt you worst of all. I was so euphoric about finding my home that I was ready to lose everything, but hearing you just now in the alley, I realized something."

"And what's that?"

"There's only one you. There's only one person who'd care for me as much as you do. No one on Cygnus A would ever treat me as lovingly as you ever would."

He smiled. "Damn straight, and if some guy ever did, I'd kill 'im."

An annoyed frown was her reaction. "You'd commit murder if someone looked at my chest."

"I did that last year. They still haven't found the body."

"What?"

"What?"

Skipping a beat, Chloe chuckled into her fist as Bobby smirked, raising an eyebrow. Hugging him, she rested her head against his broad chest as he brushed through her hair before realizing something.

"Bobby?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Are you going to arrest me?"

"No. Just give back what ya stole, and you'll just be on probation with me being the one looking after ya. I asked Ms. Vodello to help, and since she's nearly the top Psychonaut agent in the business, she'll look after us. She said she'd get you off with what I said so long as you give back what you stole, act sorry, and you gotta promise that you'll work for the Psychonauts until you retire with me when we're old so we can go to Hawaii and live there together." He wrapped his leg around her waist. "You know, together. Without leaving me behind be it on Earth or going to space, got it? I ain't wanting this to happen again unless you wanna go to space with me right now."

She paused. Moving away from him, Chloe let her mouth fall open again before blurting, "What did you say? Wait, did you do something to my ship?"

"Al I did was put all my stuff in it. If you're going, I'm going. We planned this for years, and I do not care if your people hate me. I love you, Chloe, and I'll do anything to prove it to them whether it means fighting an alien in the nude or drink poison or kill a dude. I'll do it. You said so yourself that there would be no one who cares for ya more than I do." A boyish grin split across his handsome face. "Hell, I'll even quit the Psychonauts to go to space with ya. That way, we'll be on the run from them together. Fugitives, you and me."

"You're always doing this. Always putting your life on the line for me. I remember the first time you ever did. It was from that lungfish, Linda, in Whispering Rock. Even though we were both captured, you did whatever you could to protect me. I have no idea what's wrong with me. I'm selfish, Bobby, but you're right. You're really all I need for this human life and life on my world. Even if my people deny you, I'll have my hand in your own, and we'll face them together."

Snapping her fingers, Chloe watched with a smile along with Bobby as the hatch opened. They stepped inside as the agents emerged from the manhole. Craning their necks with annoyed glares as the agents surrounding the shuttle, Chloe snapped her fingers again when they began firing their psi-blasts, unable to penetrate the shuttle's thick, tense metals. Chloe snapped her fingers again, and the power instantly came on the long, homely ship, and snapping her fingers once more, the spaceship whirred and roared to life as the banging of the agents and fires started did not even deter the ship when it heaved itself into the air and barreled through the walls.

"So…does the ship react to snapping?" Bobby asked as they sat down on a sofa.

"No. The ship knows better. It obeys what I think, and I snap to ensure it follows orders."

"Is the ship afraid of you?"

"I programmed it to fear me. That way, it will never betray me."

"Chloe, this is a ship. It's a machine."

"Remember our last ship?"

"Oh, right! The mother computer grew too powerful, and we had to destroy it."

Turning out to face a window, they peered down at New York below, finding the skyscrapers like ants with the clouds shooting past them until nothing could be seen anymore. The world was a glass blue marble like many before claimed. Bobby pinched his fingers together, levitating with Chloe to control the no gravity area as they were in space, measuring Earth in his palm.

"Damn, it's really tiny! Hey, Chloe-?"

"We're in space," she whispered.

"Yeah, we finally-!"

Chloe shrieked, kicking with her feet around like a child who won a toy and flipped several times. Dancing in the air, she performed Bobby's victory dance as he stared at her, completely dumbfounded at her actions. Snatching Bobby's waist, she snuggled into him as she snapped her fingers, activating a device to repulse the gravity to normal so it matched Earth's gravity. Leaning up excitedly, she planted another kiss on Bobby before snuggling with him on the couch, mewling happily.

"So…does this mean we're a couple again?"

"Yes, Bobby," she gushed, hugging his arm.

"And that means we can pretend the last two months never happened?"

"I'd like that."

"And how long will it take us to reach Cygnus A?"

"Eight months with stops along the way to visit planets like we said we would as kids."

"And will you marry me in a Cygnus A wedding of awesome?"

"I was beginning to think you would never ask."

He waited.

"The answer is yes, by the way."

"Awesome. Can we have lunch?"


	30. Earth Rhythms

Earth Rhythms

You are a bit surprised that he is the one offering to teach you how to dance.

From rumors from the other misfit children at this containment facility, Bobby Zilch is supposed to be crass, rude, and a generally unpleasant person to be around. You have seen him in action before, finding his behavior towards the goggle-headed boy, Raz, rather crude.

Previously, you decided to interact with him, presuming that he was possibly an alien ambassador on account that his appearance is rather uncouth from the rest of the earthlings. He had appeared shocked, and his large-eared henchman promptly began mocking you. Yet, Bobby smacked him over the head, snarling at him to leave, and when he does, Bobby looked down at you with his mouth in a slight gape and his eyes wide. You reiterated the question. His complexion seemed to redden to match the bags underneath his eyes, and he hastily threw the question back at you. You tersely nodded, waiting for him to reply. He hesitated, but suddenly smirked and shrugged as if the question were a game. You found his gesture to be a bit unnerving, but you continued to press him about his apparent alien heritage, and you began to assume that he was humoring you when his face twisted into a sneer and chuckled. Aggravation initially swept through your small frame, and you were prepped to leave. He evidently realized his own inherent discourtesy, which was rare for humans, and waved his hands, trying to say he was not being unkind purposely. You decided to drop the conversation and left in a mildly annoyed huff for wasting your time. Glancing over your shoulder allowed you to find him still standing there, a bit flustered and red-faced, a note you mentally took when he dejectedly turned and walked away.

Your second conversation with Bobby was initiated from his concern. He had seen you on the lodge's roof, and you were dangerously high in the air, grasping the cable antenna and hoisting yourself up. One slippery misstep on your part, and you would have ended up with a broken neck. You looked down to him, irritated that he had interjected in your obstinate mission of rewiring the antenna. He levitated up towards you, landing on the roof with what you discerned as nervousness in his discolored eyes. You told him what you were doing and expected to be left alone, but almost as if he needed an order to leave, he remained behind you and simply watched. You anticipated this as several other children at your school would openly mock you for such "whimsical nonsense" as the school counselor once said. However, you found his curiosity to be a bit unnerving since he was a fellow psychic child, one that could clearly hold himself in a fight, and you asked why he was staring. His eyes blinked back to focus, and another one of those human blushes crossed his cheeks as he sheepishly shrugged again, grotesque mouth forming into an awkward smile. You supposed you did not mind as he apologized, scratching the back of his head, and you decided to pursue another conversation by telling him your name, something you had foolishly forgotten before.

He told you his name with his arms crossed and pride gleaming on his face, and he suddenly went off into a tangent of a story about himself. He is from Drywell, Missouri, and his parents are divorced, and he thinks aliens are "cool." You paused, asking him if you fit underneath that definition of "cool." His expression swapped for shock, and you assumed he was trying to mock you once more, so you defiantly leap from the antenna, and he uttered what you determined was the most feminine scream you will ever hear. You landed perfectly on your knees by using your telekinesis, gifted to you by your alien parents from another world, to grab hold to a pole and shimmy your way down. You looked up to him, finding him hunched over and on his knees before saluting him a human farewell and scurrying off.

In your two conversations with him, Bobby was turning out to be the most courteous to you despite the rumors. He was the only one willing to speak with you, and he had even exposed interest in your alien culture. You concluded that he must be an alien. It is his awkward gait, and his gangly disposition that forces him to stand out among the other oddballs of this horrendous containment facility. You hope to speak to him alone when he is not too disconcerted or worrying over your safety to investigate the matter as you made your way to Ms. Milla Vodello's levitation training.

Still, you found Bobby's interest in you a bit surprising. Out of the humans you have encountered, he is the only one who treats you normally. His henchman, as mentioned before, made no manner to hide his mockery. The pig-tailed girl would roll her eyes and humor you for the sake of conversation, and you really did not want to get started with the nasally, droning human. How he continued on with his mind-numbingly tedious tale about his dog would drive your human captors to drink that vile slime they call "liquor."

This leads you to this very moment. He has approached you, finding you on your white levitation ball, and him on his own dark pink hovering orb. He is smiling, expertly twirling and "jiving," as humans say, in front of you with a grin. He asks if you find Milla's party suitable to your liking in much more simplistic terms. You state the colors are hurting your eyes, but the music is rather nice compared to the dull classical music your "mother" plays repeatedly in her car. He agrees, shielding his eyes from the nearly blinding disco ball, and he glances over his shoulder, finding the cowboy and the blonde girl staring at him with gaping mouths. He jerks his head back to you, and you can tell something is wrong. His brow is furrowed, nose wrinkling in disgust at the mere sight of anyone imposing on him. In a polite manner, you question if their presence is irksome. Bobby rolls his shoulders back, popping them back into place, and he shakes his head, offering to make them leave. He cracks his knuckles, hinting at what he will do to force them to eliminate their apparently troubling presences.

You shake your head. Earthling violence is the reason why this pathetic planet will never be asked in the greater galactic community. You wobble on your ball, trying to get the hang of moving around like the dancing figments surrounding you. Still in training, you hardly have a grasp on levitating while Bobby has apparently mastered the power. You stumble slightly, almost falling off, but he catches you, arms shooting out faster than you have seen. He is holding you by your underarms, steadying you, and he sharply gasps, pulling away, and his arms nearly vanish behind his back. He apologizes, stammering with a distinctly lowered tone, but you shake your head, thanking him.

His smile returns, and he offers you his hand, asking, "Wanna dance with me?"

Initially, the goggle-headed human asked you this, and you accepted it, but he suddenly whirled away when Milla gave him a mission. You were distraught at first, but you remembered that humans were not very keen on keeping promises. He seemingly senses your unabashed uncertainty and carefully takes your hand, placing it on his shoulder and timidly places his hand on your thin waist. He moves backwards on his ball, prompting you to move forward, and he begins to move you with him, smiling as he does so. All you can do is obey his gentle commands like his own private toy, and his grinning, somewhat blushing face is all you see. The lights seem to die away, and the voices from the other earthlings fade to the back of your mind. Shouts from the cheering dancers also dwindle to a hushed whisper as he cascades with you across the dance floor. You are holding your hand in his own like you two are ballroom dancers, a ballet that would never fit the partying mood, but you two do not seem to care. You allow yourself to smile behind your helmet, stating that "earth rhythms" are amusing. Bobby quirks his bushy eyebrow, a light, lopsided grin on his face and chuckles, clearly entertained with your vernacular, and you continue your dance without a care in the world.

However, your bliss must come to an end. Milla's voice pulsates throughout her mental domain, shouting the "race" will soon begin. Bobby's head jerks up, an eager gleam crossing his eyes and breaks your movements. His head whips back and forth between you and the apparent gate that leads to the race. He claims that being the champion of Milla's race, he needs to go defeat his potential competition, but from what you can derive, no one can beat him. His levitation skills are the superior out of the campers, and you tell him to go and defend his title. He nods a few times, backing up on his levitation ball as if to continue to impress, but he promptly knocks into one of the dancers and loses his balance. Head colliding with the floor, he groans, and you scurry over and deplete your levitation ball. As he rubs his head, you offer your hand, and he stares at you in wonder just as you had been staring at him when he proposed to teach you to dance. Reaching out, he grabs your hand, and you pull him to his feet. You say nothing to each other, and your hands are still clasped when Milla gives the final call for the race. You part with smiles, and even with the blonde, gossipy human gasping and thrusting her pig nose into your relationship with Bobby, you merely grin, thankful your visor is shaded so she cannot see.

In your three interactions, Bobby has proven to be the most intriguing. Despite the swirling rumors of his cruelty and decisive manner of heading immediately into arguments, he is giving. It may only be just to you, but you accept that. You know that he is headstrong at times, but he is kind and can ramble on about such foolish "earth primate" luxuries. Bobby would gladly do what he can to make you smile and understand life on this miserable planet. Even though you are desperately searching for your home in a world that simply refutes your ideas, he has proven that there are people that will support you in your quest. Not once has he denied your claim of being an extraterrestrial. Instead, Bobby has shown you intimacy and sincerity like no human has before.

To think, you have only spoken to him three times, and he has become your closest confidante, and, quite possibly, your only friend. You plan on making your fourth encounter as memorable as the last, and you do. In this case, you both are attacked by a hideous, hulking lungfish. You two never speak of this incident again.

Well, when you do, it is to only to recall the humiliation on the flirtatious chimp's face when Bobby effectively destroyed his charm by shoving his foot straight up his butt.


	31. Shut Up, Benny

To make up for the lack of updates, here's something incredibly silly.

Psychonauts © Double Fine

Shut Up, Benny

It would be a better day if Benny shut up about _West Side Story. _As Bobby mindlessly mashed buttons on his game controller, Benny continued to ramble on and on about the lyrics, dance maneuvers, and aesthetics of his favorite musical. Bobby hummed at random intervals, trying to block his chatty friend out as his game character continued to pulverize an NPC into a bloody heap.

Benny leaned back on Bobby's couch, not realizing his older companion was hardly paying attention. He gestured in vain attempts to reconstruct various waves and movements from _West Side Story_, gushing over how Maria stole Tony's heart in their dance. Before he could start recreating the actual dance sequences, Benny's scarlet eyes caught something strange about his boss. Cutting himself off in mid-sentence, Benny looked up towards Bobby's unkempt afro.

"What?" Bobby snapped without glancing over. Pausing the game, he asked, "What, do you finally want to fight two-player?"

"Uh, no. Hey, boss? Did you, uh, do something to your hair?"

"No. That's a weird question. My hair is always like this." Bobby quirked an eyebrow, holding onto the second controller and waved it towards Benny's face. A large smirk stretched across his cheeks, teasingly hitting Benny in the nose with the controller. "C'mon, verse me."

"You'll just kick my ass like usual. I can never beat you," the purple-skinned youth whined, crossing his arms.

"Which is why you should verse me, big ears. Maybe I'll go easy and let you hit me once."

Reluctantly, Benny took the controller, and Bobby re-started his fighting game. They selected their characters with Bobby taking on the best all-around character with Benny choosing a faster one. As they went at it, Benny's eyes continued wavering towards Bobby's afro, paling slightly when he noticed something the second time.

His afro shifted. Bobby was not making his afro move, being completely still except for his rampant button-mashing, but something in his afro was alive. Benny opened his mouth to speak as Bobby's afro rustled even more, ready to cry out to save his boss when Bobby's character landed a finishing blow.

"Jeez, Benny! Get with the program! I kicked your ass in less than thirty seconds, and that was two out of three," Bobby snarled, shaking his head disappointedly.

"Oh! Uh, s-sorry, boss. I was, um, distracted."

Bobby repeated the last word, looking over to Benny as the younger boy threw the controller back onto the floor. "How th' hell were you 'distracted?'"

"I think there might be something wrong with you." Benny's voice took a graver tone, lowering his head with his eyes flickering upwards. "Your afro is moving."

"Uh, what? Benny, what's-?"

At that moment, something burst free from Bobby's afro, startling the duo enough to make them nearly leap out of their seats. A helmet popped forward with two pinkish orange hands emerging from the conglomerated mass. Benny screamed, leaving his mouth hanging open as the wail slowly died out. Bobby just sat completely still, face contorted in a mixture of shock and aggravation from Benny's screaming. The little girl adjusted herself from Bobby's afro, making herself comfortable as she sat atop Bobby's head.

"Hello, friends. I am here," Chloe replied. She pointed to the forlorn game controller. "Mind if I play?"

Bobby handed her the controller, and they began their match without another word. As for Benny, he continued sitting in gaping silence until Bobby walloped him in the face for looking like an idiot and appearing like a nuisance.

"How did she get there? What was she doing in your hair? Boss, what aren't you telling me? Chloe, what are you even doing? How did you even get here, space nerd?" Benny cried, throwing his hands up.

Chloe and Bobby, dead-locked in their match, promptly replied, "Shut up, Benny."

"I'm calling my mom to pick me up," Benny mumbled, shuffling out of the room with a sore jaw and mind.

Not noticing his supposed friend left, Bobby asked, "How come you take naps in my hair?"

"It's warm up here," Chloe replied, landing a final move on Bobby's character and caused him to shriek a vile curse. "Bobby, language."

"Sorry."

"She's even controlling your way of speech! Bobby, get out of there! She's just using you for science and space! Science and space, boss!"

"Are you still here? I thought your mom came to get you minutes ago," Bobby called as round two kicked in, and Benny sat back down on the couch with his head in his hands without a clue as to why Chloe was in Bobby' hair in the first place.


	32. Mistletoe's Supposed Woe

Merry Christmas! Have a short fic.

Mistletoe's Supposed Woe

"What is this?"

"What's...oh."

This was the most cliched event Bobby Zilch would ever experience in his young life. He silently gazed to where her finger was pointing, discolored eyes shrinking at the foliage above his head and the aggravating acrobat holding it.

Razputin Aquato smirked, holding himself up with his legs curled around the banister. "Heeey, Hair Boy, Chloe. Know what this is?"

"Spaz, I will-!"

"No, what is it?" Chloe Barge inquired, head curiously tilting to the side at the festive shrubbery.

"It's called a-"

"It's called a 'get the hell outta or so help me, I will punch you!'"

"Bobby, no," Chloe warned, instantly deflating Bobby's raised fist back down towards his side. "As you were saying?"

"This is a mistletoe. It's used for the holidays, and when two or more people are standing underneath it..." Raz puckered his lips, imitating a kissing sound with a mischievous glint in his emerald eyes.

Chloe raised her eyebrow, crossing her arms. She failed to notice Bobby's persistence in trying to get Raz to leave, asking, "What did you mean by that lip motion?"

"I mean, they gotta kiss. Mwah, mwah."

If Bobby's rage could be measured by a thermometer, it would be steadily rising towards the top before finally bursting. He made a wild swing for Raz, but the swift Psychonaut easily jerked his head back, causing Bobby's fist to miss and hit the wall. Cringing, he rubbed his knuckles as Raz leaped over them and landed on his levitation ball, still holding the mistletoe over their heads.

"Y-you dirty-! Where'd you even get that?"

"Lili cultivated some for me," Raz explained, wiggling the mistletoe over Bobby's head. "C'mon, Bobby, where's your Christmas spirit?"

Bobby crossed his arms, eyes focused solely on Raz's sneering face. "Just because it's Christmas in a few days doesn't mean ya gotta do this! This is stu-!"

Soft lips pressed against his cheek, causing his rant to be cut in half. He remained completely still, finger still aiming at Raz's nose as the other boy watched Chloe step off her levitation ball and place her helmet back over her head. Bobby uttered what they discerned to be squeaking sounds as Raz snapped his fingers attempting to break his trance.

"Did I do it wrong? I thought I was supposed to kiss him from what you said," Chloe wondered.

"Nope. You did everything right, Chloe. I think he's in shock," Raz said. "Hey, wanna hang out with me and Lili by the docks? Maybe if you wait a few hours, this guy will finally be out of his stupor."

"Sounds acceptable. See you later, Bobby."

As the door to the Main Lodge shut, Bobby looked over towards the door and then around the lounge, finding no one present. A dreamy smile stretched across his face, uttering a shrill, delighted squeal and proceeded to float and spin around the building in a love-struck daze.

"Oh, my God, she kissed me! Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God! Merry Christmas to me! Who cares if I get coal now? Ha, ha, this is the best present ever! I don't care if I'm on the naughty list forever! Chloe kissed me!"


	33. First Aid

Psychonauts © Double Fine

First Aid

"Hold your nose. Blood is still dripping from it."

Bobby pinched his nostrils, grimacing all the way as Chloe wrapped another set of bandages on his left arm. "I coulda won. I coulda beat that stupid communist to a pulp if Oleander didn't intervene."

Sighing, Chloe shifted herself over to Bobby's right with another set of bandages. "I know, I know, but you must understand that Mikhail is slightly better at telekinesis than you."

"It was supposed to be a fistfight! Dirty commie cheated!" Bobby winced as the bandages wrapped tightly around his shoulder where a gash was being covered up. Hissing out his pain, he grumbled, "He should be deported."

Chloe rolled her eyes behind her helmet, taking up the first aid kit and rummaged around for antibiotics to put on his cheek. Earthling violence always baffled her to no end, and when the entire camp came down to the parking lot to watch Bobby and Mikhail fight, she had no interest. Yet, she was curious to see how humans settled a psychic battle, and she showed up to Bobby's delight. Before the fight started, he had gone over to her with a cheesy, delightful grin, claiming he was going to win with absolute ease.

During the fight, Bobby kept himself in control. He managed several powerful blows to Mikhail's face, and his spindly legs tripped Mikhail several times. Yet, Mikhail, under the notion that anything would go, resorted to telekinesis and was ready to use the Deadly Nelson when Oleander stormed over. Mikhail released Bobby, but the blue-skinned bully was lightheaded from the times Mikhail tossed him against Oleander's militaristic jeep. Both boys were black, blue, purple, and dribbling red from assorted cuts. While the campers dispersed, Chloe decided it would be best to help Bobby, knowing how awful he was at caring for himself with his ridiculously amorphous hair and disfigured teeth. Bobby insisted he was fine, but Chloe dragged him towards the campfire area to disinfect and cover his wounds.

"Hold still. I have to put the cream on," Chloe ordered, placing the clear, thick ointment onto her finger. Smearing it on Bobby's cheek, she wiped the remaining goop onto her shorts. "You did fine out there. Assuming that Mikhail did not use his telekinesis, you probably had a chance at winning."

"I was gonna win, too," Bobby whined, placing his forehead in his hand. "I'll get 'im next time. Next time, he's gonna have his face in the gravel, not me."

"While I still find your humanly ways at dealing with conflict appalling and foolish, I would be interesting to see a round two. You know, on Cygnus A, where I'm most definitely from, they use mental duels to solve verbal arguments."

"Hm? Whazzat?"

"Both sides make a claim, and they use evidence to make their claim the truth. Their words come to life, and they stab into the opponent. It's actually pretty cool."

"Whoa. Sounds like two detectives battling it out. Man, your people sound so cool, just like you. Heh, um, thanks for cleaning me up. You, uh, didn't hafta."

"Well, I was certain you would have just let the wounds fester and become infected. You would have become all red and swollen."

Disgust crossed his expression, nose wrinkling in revulsion. Shuddering at the mental image he unfortunately thought of, Bobby rapidly shook his head to try and disperse the abhorrent image. "Ew! You make it sound like I'd be a zit ready to pop."

"Exactly. Ew." Chloe took a napkin to his nose, wiping up the remaining blood splatter. "Now, don't touch your nose for a few hours. Any irritation and the blood might start flowing down again. Also, I'd suggest keeping physical activity to a minimum."

"Ah, I'm all right. I had my arms dislocated from falling out of a tree at my school when I was younger, and I had them popped back in without any painkillers. No tears, no screamin', nothin'. So, I'd say I'm tough enough to handle a little pain like this," Bobby boasted, checking out the bandages on his arms. "Nice work."

"My brother is taking a class on doctoring. This is like secondhand knowledge to me. Anyway, are you feeling better?"

"Nothing hurts except my pride." Bobby glumly fixated his gaze onto his toes, wriggling them in the grass. "Only thing that smarts is the fact I let everyone see me look so pathetic when Mikhail had me up in the air like that. Bet you thought I looked dumb, right?"

"Not at all. He merely caught you off-guard. There's nothing to be worried about. If anything, you should do I back to him. Revenge is like secondhand knowledge to you humans."

Eagerly, Bobby's face broke into a wide sneer, conjuring a plethora of ways to make Mikhail pay. Throwing him headfirst into the basketball hoop, bashing his head in against the front gates, using his own technique against him, and so many more cunningly painful ideas sprouted in his devious mind. Tapping his fingers together, he snickered wickedly as Chloe rolled her eyes.

"I regret you telling you that. I can only wonder what you plan on doing to him."

"Oooh, you'll see, Chloe. Bobby Zilch is gonna mop the floor with that stupid immigrant."

Closing the first aid kit, she stood up and stated, "I'm going to take this back to Ford. He doesn't know I borrowed it."

"So, you stole it? Nice."

She stared at him, eyes narrowing as Bobby cringed slightly. "He merely lacks the knowledge that I borrowed it."

Standing up as they trekked over to the janitor's trailer, Bobby countered, "That's still stealing."

"I'm returning it, so it's not stealing. Stealing means I'll be keeping it for myself. Borrowing means keeping it for an undisclosed amount of time before returning the object to the owner."

Smirking, he crossed his arms, jeering, "But did you ask?"

Her silence answered his question. Bobby patted the top of her helmet, sniggering to himself as Chloe struggled to find a way to counter his question. Deciding to drop the question, he was satisfied when she turned up to glare at him with her tongue sticking out of her mouth.

"That was a fun banter," Chloe finally said, breaking his victorious silence. "It was like the mental duels on my world."

"Oh, really? What would happen if you really did lose, though?"

"Oh, the words would literally cut through my body. Thankfully, these mental duels are only preserved for very intense arguments such as attempting to discover the culprit to a murder."

"I-I would've k-killed you? Holy crap, Chloe. That's pretty intense," Bobby stammered, scratching through his thick mass of hair.

"Don't worry. You have to obtain a proper license to have mental duels."

"O-oh. Well, that's good."

As they approached Ford, Chloe quietly placed the small suitcase-like box on a nearby tree-trunk and urged Bobby to scurry away with her. Once they were a far distance away, she sighed and turned to him. However, his irksome face was twisted back into a large, arrogant grin.

"Shut up. I didn't steal it. I returned it, and we are not going back to that conversation."

"But I was totally right."

The impulse to strangle him jerked through her small frame, but she suppressed it with affluence. "Whatever. I have to go dissect some seagulls on the lake. Wanna help? It will keep you out of trouble and away from physical activity for your wounds."

"Oh, yeah! That sounds awesome!"


	34. Space Helmet

(This was fic was a drabble request by tumblr user spitblaze, and I liked it enough to post here!)

Space Helmet

The helmet was shaped to perfectly fit his head. She had spent hours working on it, using the same materials she used for her own helmet. Matching her colors of dark blue and white, Bobby's helmet was gray with lighter brown around the back and edges of his tinted visor. She had made it for him because she had planned on bringing Bobby to space with her. He had done so much for her already, including finding metals for her, now their, spaceship and befriending her when she had no one besides Lili.

Chloe presented the helmet to Bobby when they met up in the forest to work on her model airplane. He was ecstatic, eagerly thanking her and taking it, but they soon realized they had a debacle. Bobby attempted to put the helmet over his head, but his hair was far too high up and condensed for the helmet to properly fit. Watching Bobby struggle as he attempted to shove the helmet over his head, Chloe sighed, placing her head to her helmet and offered to do it for him.

It led to Bobby sitting down and balancing Chloe on his shoulders with his hands on her ankles as she attempted to mash the helmet over his mass of orange hair. She managed to secure it on, but his hair continued to engulf the insides of the helmet, obscuring his vision to the point of him shouting at her to stop when her fingers slipped inside of his helmet to nearly jab his eyes out.

She heaved her arms down to her sides, standing on his shoulders as Bobby attempted to part his hair. His hair was a wild mess with large blobs of hair poking out underneath, and she noted it now looked like Bobby's hair was a women's cut. He managed to stand up, having managed to part his hair to one side to block his red eye.

"This ain't gonna work," Bobby stated, trying to stuff the rest of his hair into the helmet.

"Unfortunately, no. Hey…"

"Hm?"

"Maybe we could cut your hair."

"No. Outta the question."

"Why?"

"There's stuff in my hair."

"What?"

Bobby reached into the helmet, but his arm was now stuck. Realizing his blunder, Bobby telekinetically heaved the helmet off his hair and caused his hair to wildly bounce back up. As if fate wanted to help prove Bobby's statement, an apple fell out of his hair and landed perfectly into his left hand.

"Interesting. Your hair is strong enough to hold different objects of various weights," Chloe mused as she took back the helmet.

Spinning the apple on his finger, Bobby nodded. "Yeah, I have tons of different things in my hair. I got other bagged foods, games, arrowheads, dream fluffs, you name it. It's probably gonna be in my hair."

"Hm, you're like a walking and talking survival kit. That's good, but if you want the helmet to fit, we'll need to cut your hair."

"C-can't we figure out some other way? I know!" Bobby snatched back the helmet, pointing to the top with a proud grin. "Let's cut this off!"

"Bobby, are you nuts? The vast and airless space would kill you in seconds should you ever step outside of the ship."

"But you said my hair was strong enough to hold stuff, so maybe it's strong enough to keep oxygen in!"

His answer was so stupid that Chloe's gawking expression was the proper reaction. Pausing to let his answer sink in as he nervously tapped his foot, Chloe hummed, mulling the idea over. His afro was thicker than the other humans' hair by any means, and with it having such dexterity and mass, perhaps his theory could be proven correct.

"All right. Do you have scissors?"

The others were a little more than confused when they saw Chloe and Bobby walking hand in hand wearing space helmets. Yet, they were more dumbfounded when they found Bobby's afro still sticking out at the top as the upper half of his helmet had been opened to allow for his afro to be free.


	35. Embarrassed

It took a few tries, but he finally managed to reclaim his rightful position as the true king of Milla's mental race. He had been neck and neck with Raz the entire time before gaining that last boost of speed needed to wipe the floor with Raz, and seeing his whipped expression was truly fulfilling. Sure, Clem and Crystal still kept saying he was the real winner in the end because of the other amounting race, but Bobby knew the truth in that he had successfully beat Raz at the last second.

"Ha! In your face, Spaz! Bobby Zilch really is number one!" he sneered, hands proudly placed on his hips.

"Yeah, yeah. You really have a one-track mind since you're conveniently forgetting all of the other times I beat you," Raz retorted, crossing his arms.

"Who cares about that? I finally won, and that's all that matters," Bobby snapped irritably before smirking once more. "Now, there's no other reason for me to stick around with the loser crew. See ya, freaks!"

Laughing smugly, Bobby hopped back on his levitation ball and quickly retreated back to the party area. Stepping outside as Clem and Crystal's lingering comforting words for Raz stayed in his head, he shook his head and brushed them off. Coming out to a party room filled with her mental figments, he bypassed the dancing people and weaved his way until he came out to a platform with a couple campers on it.

Spotting Chloe, he rolled over towards her with a bashful smile, but it quickly faded once he realized just how she was levitating. Observing as she flopped on her stomach up and down in the air, Bobby caught her by her helmet and set her down on the ball with her feet wobbling slightly.

"Thank you, Bobby. I was in need of aid that some people would not give," Chloe said, cynically glancing over to J.T. and Elka, the former attempting to escape the latter.

"No problem. Want me to beat them up?"

"That won't be necessary. Human violence is awful after all."

"Y-ya don't say?" Bobby pinched at his loose shirt, feeling it choke around him once he spotted a television screen above their heads. Seeing that it showed replays of his victorious race, he grinned and asked, "So, uh, did ya see the race?"

"Actually, yes. It was quite entertaining, and it was a shocker that you won."

"Well, I am pretty great and…what do ya mean it was a shocker?"

Chloe shrugged, sliding slightly on her ball until Bobby grabbed her shoulder to steady her. "I mean, it was so close, and Raz won most of the other races, but it was refreshing to see you win for once."

Unsure whether it was a compliment or a bit of disparaging statement, Bobby grinned still and said, "Thanks! I wiped the floor with Raz. He hardly stood a chance at that last second. The look on his face was priceless."

Chloe hummed, resting her fingers on the underside of her helmet. "Hm, since you won, I supposed a reward is needed."

Dumbfounded, Bobby was about to ask her what she meant when Chloe leaned forward, managing to balance herself on her levitation ball. Lifting up her helmet just below her nose, she pecked Bobby's cheek lightly and quickly retracted back onto the ball so she would not fall off. Frozen in spot, Bobby felt his skin flush a swift crimson and stepped backwards, gawking at Chloe while she merely stared at him. Touching his cheek, Bobby wondered if his cheeks could purple from the amount of astonishment filling him.

"Y-you-! Kiss! A kiss! I-i-it was-I mean-!" Clearing his throat loudly, Bobby's arms crossed stubbornly, and he glanced down at his tense toes. "Th-there was no need to do that. A-a real prize is a bunch of arrowheads or candy, b-b-b-but it was…good, I guess."

Chloe tilted her head, eye a bit wide in surprise before grinning slightly. "Then…I guess this means Bobby does not want any more kisses. That is satisfactory. When Bobby does something good, I'll reward him with human sweets."

"W-wait! I mean-! I-it wasn't bad, b-but…I mean…" Bobby feverishly looked around, realizing J.T. and Elka had not spotted them yet.

She sighed, shaking her head disappointedly. "How much longer do I need to work on you?"

"Sh-shut up…i-it was nice, okay?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "I wish there was a manual for human boys. Perhaps that way I could understand why you are so embarrassed right now. Oh? Are you all right? You're even redder."

"R-red? I'm not red. Who is red?" Clearing his throat, Bobby offered his hand and asked, "W-well, wanna dance with a winner?"

Chloe nodded, saying, "Yes. Teach me of your earth rhythms."


	36. The Case of the Missing Desserts

"Hey, what's wrong, Crystal?"

The younger cheerleader curiously looked around the bench table in the main lodge. Crystal hummed sadly, replying, "I could have sworn I put my cake here unless it was at a different table."

Clem frowned, saying, "You know, I'm pretty sure you set it down there. It couldn't have just grown legs and walked off somehow."

Equally puzzled, the cheerleaders shrugged their shoulders and decided to let it go. Setting his own slice of cake down, Clem went back to the counter with Crystal. Milla baked for the campers, and many were present to gobble down chocolate cake and cookies. Ford was supervising, still attempting to make burgers as he grumbled about having dessert would spoil dinner. As Crystal took another cake slice for herself, they went back to their table only to blink in surprise.

Like Crystal's slice, Clem's cake mysteriously vanished. A bit irritated at such trickery, Clem knew they were being taken advantage of again and asked Crystal to wait with her cake at the table closest to the stage where Phoebe and Quentin stood by their instruments. He quickly left and returned with his second slice of cake with Ford reprimanding him for taking an extra slice so soon. Ignoring Ford, Clem went back to Crystal to discover she was eating her cake and was perfectly fine.

"I guess someone just took our cake," Crystal mumbled sadly, twirling her fork across the creamy vanilla frosting.

"There, there, friend. Let's just pretend it didn't happen. I-?"

"Oh, what the heck? I left them right here."

"What's wrong, Phoebe?" Crystal asked, turning to the irritated drummer.

Standing by her drums as Quentin idly ate his cookies by her, Phoebe crossed her arms and huffed, "I left my cookies on my snare drum. Someone just took them when I wasn't looking."

"Really? Someone took our cake slices without us knowing," Clem suspiciously replied.

"Guess we got a dessert thief on our hands," Quentin said, swallowing his final cookie.

"Well, whoever they are, I hope they're happy with themselves because I really wanted those," Phoebe mumbled, lightly rapping her fingers against her cymbals.

"You can always get more even if Ford decides to chew you out for a bit," Clem suggested with a smile.

"I will, but it's just so rude to take something that isn't yours-?"

"Oh, come on! I left for the bathroom, and this happens."

The quadrant directed their attention to the table next to Clem and Crystal's. Lili crossed her arms, tapping her foot against the ground and looked around. Her plate was cleared with only brown crumbs remaining. Sighing, Lili shook her head and went to get another cake slice for herself.

"Guess Lili got punked, too," Quentin said, also shaking his head in disappointment. "I don't really get this. Why can't this thief just, ya know, get more treats for themselves without stealing?"

"Well, whoever they are, they're just being a jerk," Crystal added, noticing Raz coming up to the table Lili was just at and gasped in surprise at an empty plate by Lili's. "Looks like Raz is also a victim."

Overhearing Crystal's statement, Raz looked up and said, "Looks like it all right. I'm guessing you guys don't know who is doing this?"

"No. Clem, Phoebe and I had our desserts stolen. This wouldn't be the first time though. Milla's baked in the past, and sometimes, people get greedy and take food from people" Crystal sadly explained, and Clem patted her shoulder sympathetically.

Puffing out his chest, Raz proclaimed, "Well, don't worry. I'll find this guy and bring them in."

Set on his mission, Raz took a quick look around and find many other campers happily chatting and eating. When Lili came back with a cake slice for herself and him, Raz tapped his chin and gasped slightly when he noticed a boy with an unmistakable afro was not present in the lodge.

"Lili, I'll be right back. I need to find a thief," Raz said boldly and paused, asking, "Wanna come with me?"

"Sure, Raz, but I want the cake first. Milla's baking is so good," Lili replied with a bright grin.

Settling down with their cakes, Raz and Lili ate off the same plate, chatting amicably and laughing at private jokes. He was more than eager to try Milla's baking, delighted at the sweetness and moistness of the cake that seemed to melt in his mouth. What the campers said about Milla's baking was more than true, and Raz proposed that Milla should run her own bakery on the side.

Once they were finished, Raz and Lili set out to find the obvious thief. They searched the campgrounds, realizing he was nowhere in sight. The cabins, docks, and forest lacked the redheaded bully with his grotesque teeth. Confused, they wondered if he was simply being invisible and evading them to avoid punishment.

"Hey, Raz, I just realized something. Bobby wasn't the only person missing from the lodge," Lili mused.

"Hm? Oh…hey, yeah! She wasn't there either, which means…" Raz looked up, standing in the forest with Chloe and gasped. "Lili, we gotta go back to the lodge. I know where they are."

Racing back to the lodge, they stood by the stone ledge and looked up. There, hanging onto the antenna was Chloe, and a familiar blue hand was holding something out to her. Realizing her helmet was off, they watched as Chloe jerked her head back, bit whatever Bobby was holding, and resumed working with a screwdriver on the antenna. She called back for a hammer, and the blue hand quickly popped back into the view with what she required. Using telekinesis, Chloe took it and placed the screwdriver into his hand.

Climbing up the nearby tower, Raz and Lili walked across the tightrope and stomped over to Chloe, glaring as Bobby came into view. Upon seeing them, Bobby cringed and glanced down to his arms, which held a plethora of stolen goods. Leaping onto the roof with Lili, Raz jabbed an accusatory finger at Bobby.

"Bobby Zilch, you're the dessert thief!" Raz proclaimed.

Grumbling, Bobby snarled, "Can it, gogglehead!"

"Bobby, what the heck? Why'd you steal people's desserts?" Lili demanded, crossing her arms.

"I didn't have time to wait in line to get these. Go away," Bobby growled, turning back to Chloe and yelped slightly when Chloe jumped down from the antenna and landed in front of him.

"You stole those? Bobby, I told you to do get the treats the right way," Chloe said, frowning.

"I-I'm sorry, Chloe. It's just, um, I thought you'd get hungry since you're workin' so hard on rearrangin' that antenna to reach into space or somethin' like that," Bobby stuttered, pinkness shading his cheeks into a darker red.

"Bobby, I will not accept this behavior. Go return what you stole."

Slowly, Bobby lowered his head and begrudgingly walked over to Raz and Lili. Glaring at their smirking faces, he held out his arms and let them telekinetically take the remaining stolen goodies. Licking the remaining frosting and specs of chocolate off his fingers, he huffed out an apology and glowered at the ground.

Chloe patted his arm, nodding approvingly. "Good job, Bobby. Now, go get some desserts the right way this time."

"Wow, Chloe, you have him whipped," Lili commented, watching Bobby leap down from the roof with his levitation ball after he nodded and beamed down at her.

"Bobby is like a puppy in a way. He can easily be tamed by the right person and reacts positively to praise. Anyway, I'm sorry for what he did. I told him to get us some desserts since he was going to be helping me with my daily project, and I did tell him to hurry since I was a bit famished," Chloe replied, shrugging.

"That's okay, Chloe. Though, I think Bobby's a bit more of a wild dog than a puppy," Raz said.

Chloe shook her head. "No, he's very much like a puppy. You should see him when he's eating sweets. He gets very happy, and it's rather cute."

Exchanging a bit of a baffled look, Lili and Raz let Chloe get back to her work and jumped off the roof after Lili climbed onto his back for him to do the leaping. Catching Bobby coming back out with an armful of food, they smirked at him as he spat that he waited in line and blushed when they merely snickered.

Levitating back up by jumping on his levitation ball a few times to get properly in the air, Bobby landed back on the roof and said, "There. I got 'em all nice and properly. Ya happy?"

She smiled back to him. "Yes."


End file.
